Honor's Debt: Book 4 of The Carpenter Blueprints
by Thomas A
Summary: Because we all are dying for our next Jim Butcher fix and it made me think about what may be happening with Molly right after Ghost Story. As always Jim Butcher owns all rights to the characters and the world and I make no profit from this. As usual reviews appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

**_Sunday _**

**_Chapter 1_**

The fact that John Marcone was the last to arrive at the meeting was not as surprising as the fact that John Marcone was the one attending for his side in the first place. Being less than popular with some of his allies, and being actively hunted for his open defiance by the Fomor and their allies kept the gangster on the move from safe house to safe house and even then still a target more often than he cared to be. That he was not in hiding and had come to this meeting instantly made everyone aware that something far more important than a normal coordinating session between reluctant allies was going to occur here at Murphy's house tonight. None of the others present panicked at this thought, but it was enough to ratchet up the tension in the room a bit as they all sat up to take note and stop their individual squabbles.

Murphy had decided on only having two of her own in the room, feeling it would make the other parties more comfortable and demonstrate that she did not fear any of the rival power bases. They may be few in number, but damn it her team got results and could work in locations that the others could not. She had picked her associates specifically for their calm demeanor, which she expected to need, and as a projection of what she could call upon.

Her first backup for this evening was an early twenties young man whose body looked like it had been forged from raw iron based upon the way his chest stretched his extra large t-shirt and left his pectorals highlighted. This shirt also showed that the young man had bandages wrapped around his mid-torso, perhaps holding a broken rib in place and some similar wrappings on portions of both arms. If any of these wounds caused the boy discomfort when he moved the kid's face did not show it. Instead he maintained a mixture of strong, unwavering determination, and a hint of honest concern as he looked to the other person out of the corner of his eye with which he shared the old and comfortable couch.

The second man also openly displayed bandages around his forehead and likely some inside his clothing by the stiff way he fidgeted trying to get comfortable that covered injuries he had acquired at the same time as his guardian. Unlike the boy he had only been released from the hospital today so his presence here was somewhat a shock to those aware of his condition. Like the young man next to him the older took as little note of these injuries as possible, maintaining a stoic appearance that seemed perfectly in line with the white collar he wore around his neck. If there were any other doubts as to his identify, the fact that the young man occasionally called him 'father' as he checked on his condition or offered to get him a cup of tea left no doubt as to the profession of the older man.

Murphy's other current male guest as they awaited the arrival of John Marcone was far more animated than either of her two; though some might argue that his Latino blood probably accounted for much of this. The third did not say much either, most likely following suit of the others and therefore did not want to appear weak in their eyes, that or open up conversations about people and areas he wanted to avoid for as long as possible. Weakness with a crowd of reluctant allies was never a good idea his superiors and experience told him, even if he wanted to think on some of them as friends. So instead he sat on the edge of his armless chair and let his hand wander to the hilt of his sheathed sword every few minutes. The motion was purposefully designed to be both comforting to himself and at the same time keep Murphy's only female guest off guard, intimidated, and therefore away from her natural tendencies and desires. Unfortunately that did not work as planned.

"If you wish to unsheathe that powerful sword of yours Warden Ramirez I could request from our hostess the use of one of her guest rooms." The female guest smiled as she looked upon the white caped warden with a mixture of amusement and undisguised lust with just enough apprehension at his weapon to be enticed further. She was inhumanly beautiful, with pale skin, dark hair, and pouting lips that seemed to draw eyes and therefore attention from the less than modestly concealed swells of flesh that lay scandalously exposed, though just legally acceptable, about six inches lower.

"No thank you Ms. Raith." Ramirez replied without looking at her and offering her any additional satisfaction at his discomfort where he kind was concerned. "I prefer my women a little less dead."

"From your aura I'd have thought you have no preferences at all where women are concerned." She smiled back turning it now to one of an undisguised predatory nature. "In fact as far as experience goes I'd say…"

This conversation's direction was enough for Murphy to call a halt before if caused problems for the meeting. She had expected something of the sort as they were awaiting Marcone's agent to arrive so she jumped in quickly to prevent issues from getting out of hand and distracting from the real reason they were meeting here.

"Felicia, the last time you were here I was forced to introduce your face to one of my favorite coffee tables." Murphy said staring the larger woman down without showing a hint of fear in her continence, just a cool detachment of renewed challenge. "If you make me ruin another of my grandmother's furnishings I assure you that your perfect skin and features will not return to normal this time and your cousin will be forced to send an ambassador more suitably trained in proper etiquette next time."

The combination of painful and embarrassing memory, the less than subtle reference to her cousin, and attack upon her propriety skills struck the pale woman nearly as well as a physical attack. This was just as Murphy expected it would, having grown accustomed to such dealings. The guest's eyes flashed in anger. Everything in Karrin's posture bespoke challenge, especially in the way it did not appear that she was tense or concerned in the slightest. It was standard dog dominance philosophy.

Felicia Raith of the White Court of vampires hesitated as she measured up her rival, obviously reminded of what the woman who was nearly a foot shorter and thirty pounds lighter had done to her last time they fought. Wisdom often comes at the price of experience. Unfortunately some people were slow learners.

"Last time you had not invited me in." Felicia replied in challenge. "I was weakened. This time you did not take the same precaution." Her offered smile was predatory.

"That is because last time I was still measuring you up." Karrin said without flinching at the challenge. "I now know I can take you. What is even more important is that you know it too." The words 'care to try me again bitch' went without being actually said for the sake of Father Forthill, though they were so obvious he undoubtedly picked them up as well.

To emphasize her point as the tension between the two women built, Karrin moved her hand slightly and unexpectedly causing Felicia to jerk back in response even though it was immediately obvious an instant later that Murphy had not offered her violence. The vampire's eyes darted around the room realizing that everyone understood what her response meant and like a good puppy she admitted defeat to the bigger (smaller) dog and settled back into her chair as a means of exposing her belly in surrender. All understood Karrin was the undeniable alpha bitch in this house.

"If those of you in the house are done playing games, the last guest is arriving." Will's voice came over the cheap walkie-talkie that sat on the conspicuously new coffee table right in front of everyone. There were a few guilty glances, by those who felt actually felt guilt of course, wondering if they had ignored earlier calls of heads up. Those feelings quickly changed to ones of apprehension with the next words. "Looks like the grey suit himself decided to grace us with his presence this evening."

Though those words were meant to disguise the identity of the last arrival to anyone who might be monitoring these frequencies, everyone on the receiving end understood at once who it referred to. Gentleman Johnny Marcone, the underworld crime boss who owned or gave tacit approval to almost every crime of consequence and not passion that occurred in the city.

"We copy." Daniel said as he acknowledged Will's over watch reporting to let the werewolf know they were taking precautions though there really were none to take.

They had as usual invited a representative from Marcone's organization to participate as his forces, influence, and intellect were vital to not losing Chicago to the Fomor. In the past he had only sent representatives on his behalf, and then rarely those from his inner trusted circle. The fact that he had come to this meeting himself could bode many things and almost all of them not good as far as those present ticked them off in their minds. However, only he knew for sure why he chose to attend and they would have to wait to find out the real reason.

Karrin let him ring the doorbell, which he did just exactly as the clock on her mantelpiece began to toll seven bells; the time they had designated for this meeting. She opened the door immediately and stepped back to allow him not only to come in if he so desired, but to see all those already in attendance in case he had any last minute concerns to address. His eyes swept the room and dismissed the occupants as a threat or perhaps even worthy of notice almost as fast as he stepped in.

"Thank you for your invitation lieutenant Murphy." He said with a charmingly devilish smile, heavy emphasis on the devilish part. "I hope I am not late." He said as the last chime rang as if responding to the question for him.

"You are not late Marcone and you also know it is not lieutenant anymore either." Karrin said with obvious annoyance at his use of her former rank and the fact that Marcone had undoubtedly called her by that merely to twist the knife over that loss some more.

"That was meant as an open offer Karrin, not an insult." Marcone said as he ignored the comfortable chair awaiting him and instead took one of those from around the dining table and reversed it to sit down with his arms crossed over the back and his head resting on his forearms. The image was probably meant to indicate weariness and put a feeble barrier between him and the rest. Karrin and the others knew at once the weariness part was probably an act, however, she sensed something about the crime boss, something worn thin from all the constant fights that bespoke actual fatigue hidden deep within. It would be just like John to hide the truth in plain sight behind an obvious act of the same.

"You have made this same offer before and I turned you down then." Karrin replied not flinching from his stare and still annoyed that he made so petty an attack at the outset of their meeting. He must not think much of her if he thought a few months away would make her come running to his side. "What makes you think any of that would have changed?"

He sighed in exasperation. "I would have hoped that eventually common sense would have beaten through your pride. I see that you have not yet reached that state." He shook his head.

"Just to get my badge back and then owe you a big favor John?" Karrin offered in rebuttal calling his bluff. "Thank you, no! I have enough devils to deal with. That is why I like having the priest here to watch over me." She waved in Father Forthill's general direction knowing that oddly enough Marcone respected religion.

He held her gaze as he let her rant finish and then turned off all emotion in his voice. "I could care less about you owing me a favor Ms. Murphy." Marcone replied lifting his head off his arms to stare at her in frank honesty. "What I care about is that the city's vast law enforcement resources are mostly sitting idle in our fight when we could be using them to help our side. Think of having SWAT teams actually using all that firepower to support our efforts against the Fomor. Think about the intelligence and eyes on the street the police patrols would give our side. Is your pride at losing your badge worth all the good you could be doing working from the inside rather than sitting here on the outside when all I would have to do is make one phone call?"

Karrin was dumbfounded by this assault because she had never even considered it. Sure it had hurt her to first be busted back to sergeant and then later to lose her badge but she liked to believe she had put that pain mostly aside for the good of the city. It was what she told herself every day since she was suspended and that was how she found her inner strength and was able to keep up the fight.

Now here was the biggest crook Chicago had ever seen, well perhaps at least of those who were not regularly elected, telling her that she was not only letting her pride blind her but also was putting the city in danger because of it. And as she stood there looking him back in the eyes she understood he was not completely wrong and waivered.

"You just want one of your pawns on the inside." Daniel took up for Karrin in her moment of weakness. "That way you can seed your corruption at will once this is fight is over."

"Boy, I respect your father for the man he was and the things he did so I will offer you some slack, but never take such a tone with me again. The last time I checked you had not been selected as his replacement as a Knight of the Cross no matter how badly you want to step into your father's shoes." Marcone said in a cold and deadly voice.

He drew a breath now that the threat and insult had made Daniel tense up until Father Forthill placed a restraining hand upon the young man's arm. When he saw the boy take a calming breath and knew he would not have to kill him he continued. "I have more of mine on the inside as you call it than I can count. In fact I have one of my accounting firms dedicated solely to tracking the monies paid out to those on the force, the district attorney's office, or in the courts and ensuring I know which ones I own and which I do not. I assure you there are many times more of the former than the latter. So you see I do not need Ms. Murphy to sow corruption into a department that breeds it just fine all on its own." He turned to look back at Murphy.

"Then get one of them promoted and leave me out of it." Karrin replied seeing an out of her moral dilemma.

"If any one of them had demonstrated even a smattering of talent in fighting what we are up against that you have I would do exactly that. Trust me from a personal basis I prefer you off the force and incapable of causing trouble to my interests, however, I cannot afford to act on my personal feelings like others are wont to do." Marcone replied staring her down and making no bones about the fact he was referring to her before turning to Daniel and Father Forthill who had the next biggest stake in Chicago's happenings. "I understand talent and Ms. Murphy is the right one for this job. Even if she is too pig headed to realize it."

"I will think about it." Karrin said immediately in response causing everyone in the room to stop and stare in her direction. It was like the Pope praising Darwin for his original thinking. But before anyone could say more she continued. "So is this the reason you came here tonight John, to offer me my job back?"

"In part, though that was merely a secondary reason, though I am pleased you will now consider it at least." He raised a hand before Murphy could respond. "The reason I am here tonight is that I had a source working on the inside of our foes, feeding me information on the Fomor, nothing too high up the chain, but I have often found even rumors and small details can be important if considered appropriately."

Karrin nodded her head in agreement. Many of the case she had worked that had not ended with some horrible bloodthirsty monster with a taste of authentic Chicago pizza were solved by similar seemingly small or inconsequential details. "And what is this source telling you now?" She asked for the group.

"He can say nothing anymore, unfortunately as he was killed two nights past on his way to see me." Marcone replied with a rising tone of accusation in his voice. "My agents tell me his body was taken to the city forensic center and that the medical examiner on the case, a friend of yours, believes he may have been the victim of a vampire." Marcone turned to look directly at Felicia without even a hint of desire but now accusation.

"I do not know anything of it." She said defensively but not too quickly to make her look guilty. "By the agreement we signed in alliance against the Fomor we are not feeding upon any except for those in our stables or those who are willing to sample what we can offer." She said looking back at the gangster and raising a single eyebrow for enticement. "That offer includes notorious crime bosses as well."

"Ms. Raith, were I so inclined to seek companionship I could have a hundred women, each more beautiful and skilled than you think yourself to be, delivered to my apartment within an hour of making a phone call." He said dismissively and started to turn away from her wounded pride but then turned back to finish her off completely. "And if I had the desire to try one of your sort, I assure you I would sample from your illustrious cousin Lara's vintage and not accept some poor, cheap, second-rate substitute with an appalling lack of couture."

Very little can enrage a White Court vampire more than being denied something they desire when they have put forth an offer of liaison. Telling one they have no sense of style and that you prefer another of their kind over them are first and second most effective items on that particular list. Felicia bared her fangs as her eyes turned pale.

"Domino…espirito…" Father Forthill called out the first words of a prayer in Latin which struck the White Court vampire like a solid physical blow and gave her rage a chance to flee before she had done something stupid. Her eyes immediately noted that Murphy's hand was holding the cold iron fireplace poker and was obviously prepared to hit her with it until the priest had stepped in and therefore probably saved the vampire's life.

"Please accept my apologies for my actions." Felicia said swallowing her pride and looking away from Karrin's glare and the rest of those in the room who dropped the issue as they had more important things to consider.

"So I think we can agree that with the Red Court destroyed, the Black almost the same, it was therefore most likely a member of the White Court that killed my agent?" Marcone asked seeing if anyone wanted to offer another suggestion.

"No!" Felicia replied. Though she had been cowed she was still loyal to her purpose for being here. "Lara's law on this is absolute. Anyone who violates it is outcast." It was obvious from the tone of her voice that this was a far more devastating thing to a vampire than to mortals. It was likely that for immortals the need for family and connection was probably even greater than for those with limited life spans. "The Blacks still maintain a presence in the city. Perhaps it was one of them?"

"The coroner's reports said the body was not drained of blood." Marcone replied evenly not accepting the answer.

"Let's table it for now." Murphy interjected knowing the conversation was not going to go anywhere useful. "I will talk with Butters and see what he knows. After than we can decide if there is a new problem we need to deal with or not." She said looking at Felicia in such a way to suggest she was not ready to accept the White Court was innocent until it was proven to her satisfaction.

"I agree." Marcone replied ending the conversation. "That is all I require regarding this issue as the medical examiner is one of yours and therefore off limits to my process of investigation." Of course to Karrin that meant Marcone and his people were not allowed to pick up Butters and beat him within an inch of his life.

"Do you have anything else for the group Marcone?" Karrin said keeping the meeting going and on target. This was not some sort of social club. None of her current guests outside her team were particular favorites so getting them out of her house was her current priority.

"Only that before he died my inside agent confirmed that the Fomor have established themselves in the undercity out of someplace they are calling 'the Hive' if that makes sense to anyone." He looked at the faces of the others but obviously either they were better liars than he was or they were as equally in the dark as his own forces were on this issue.

Seeing nothing to be gained from waiting he dropped his last bit of news. "They are also supposedly implementing an effort to eliminate our resistance to their rule once and for all. It seems we have annoyed them enough that they are awaiting some outside help to arrive to deal with us. My man was bringing me data on their plans but he was not found holding anything so I must assume if he had knowledge or documents these are now lost to us as well."

"The undercity makes sense." Karrin replied. "It matches our reports on Fomor coming and going through the sewers and storm drains. Their damn gills of theirs let them go where we can't easily follow and probably protects their base of operations."

"Obviously this would be the Hive." Father Forthill injected. "That has an ominous ring for their stronghold and if it is protected by water it will not only make it difficult for us but it would be impossible for those beings who cannot handle running water."

Karrin had obviously not given that angle much thought and for about the millionth time in the past few months she found herself cursing the fact that Harry was not here offering this type of advice. She would need to talk to Butters about this as well and see what insights he could get from Bob the Skull about what the Fomor might be doing.

"Okay, so we can't currently take the fight to them." Karrin summed up. "Not a problem, it was not like we have the forces to do so presently anyway unless the White Council is going to get off its ass and send us some reinforcements before it's too late."

The less than subtle accusation had Warden Ramirez squirming in his seat but only slightly. These were his friends but he also had a duty and loyalty to the White Council and their interests were by necessity focused beyond just the Windy City.

"We are spread just as thin as you are." Carlos said shaking his head in obvious regret. "We don't even have the forces for stand up fights anymore. We have had to break down into hunter-killer teams of three to five agents and send them out usually against much bigger forces. I've lost two teams in the past month and lost contact with another one of my junior wardens just this week. We are battling the Fomor too, not to mention quite a few other rather nasty powers, all across the globe so I'm sorry if Chicago is not on the top of the White Council's 'to do' list anymore."

Karrin's eyes flashed red at Carlos and he stared right back while the others looked on in either horror or shock. "Karrin…" Father Forthill began trying to calm tensions once more which was the reason she wanted him at these meetings in the first place. "Warden Ramirez was merely…"

"I know what Warden Ramirez was trying to do." Karrin held his gaze. "And he is correct. I'm sorry. It is easy to get too wrapped up in my own problems and forget about the rest of the world."

Carlos's anger deflated just as fast as Karrin's did. "But there is much to be said about supporting those places that are still putting up resistance. Maybe we could make Chicago a safe zone and start working our way out from here instead of trying to fight everywhere at once. I'm not sure the ancient robes would go for it but since I am the lead Warden for North America I have a bit of influence on where to send resources. I can't promise anything but I will try and break some forces free and get you some backup."

"Anything would be appreciated Carlos." Karrin replied. "Anything else you have to report from your side?"

"Only that we sensed something big and powerful came through San Francisco two nights ago out of Asia." Carlos added. "We are not sure what it was because we did not have eyes on target but we think whatever it was may have hitched a ride on a redeye flight to Chicago. Did you guys get any indication of a new player in town?" The others shook their heads though they all understood none of them had time going out looking for new enemies when they were overrun with current ones.

"This visitor must be the forces the Fomor are marshalling against us." Daniel offered.

"That is speculation kid." Karrin replied knowing the difference between a fact and a theory. "However, it is certainly something we need to consider. Carlos are you sure whatever it was moved on and is not planning anything big out your way? Maybe they want to take you out of the game as well and have a freer run over North America."

"That makes sense with what I have to report." Felicia piped up without waiting. "Lara sent my cousin Erik out there as punishment for feeding on one of Lara's stable favorites and he has now gone missing as well. Erik last reported that he had tracked down some Fomor agents and was going to try and take one over to give us some insight as well." She looked in Marcone's direction to show that their tactics were similar. "He would not have been easy to kill but we have not heard from him since then, which was more than a week ago. Pehaps he crossed your mysterious new player."

"That is doubtful." Carlos said. "We only know something powerful came through because he or she shorted out all the airline ticketing systems in the airport. If your vampire went missing a week ago that was five days before our new arrival made this appearance so I doubt the two events are connected." Felicia seemed ready to protest but Karrin's nod seemingly agreed with the Warden's analysis. "I will however see if we can turn anything up on our side about your cousin's disappearance. I will pass back whatever I get through Murphy."

"That will be fine." Murphy said before this could degenerate further into issues outside of Chicago. She understood these were important, but for those assembled here the city was their battleground.

"What is the White Council's current view on rogue wizards?" Murphy said staring Carlos down and making him uncomfortable. Although the comment was worded generally there was little doubt in the minds of anyone present who this was truly referring to.

Carlos shifted then slowly scanned around the room just barely avoiding the eyes of most of those present, pausing last with Father Forthill, Daniel, and then Murphy. "The laws of the White Council remain inviolate in this area. Rouges receive the death sentence to be carried out by the head warden or their representative, which for America is currently me." He said without emotion. He paused and took a breath.

"That said for the foreseeable future I do not expect my Wardens or any of the White Council has the time or energy to hunt down rogues no matter where she might be hiding." Carlos offered as a concession. "Our focus remains on the Fomor and the other nasty players trying to take over the world and my troops all know that I expect their full commitment to this endeavor. When things get settled again, maybe then we can pick up on the general policing activities once more."

It was not the best possible answer, but all things considered better than the one any of them expected to hear. "Karrin, if I can send you support they will all understand that she is off limits." Everyone knew the 'she' in question was Molly or the Rag Lady, depending upon how you thought of her. It was also an unexpected offer and could legally get Carlos declared as a rogue as well if certain White Council member's found out about it. He was smart enough to understand that none of this was going to matter if the Fomor won. The White Council was a mere shadow of the strength it had before the war with the Red Court, and while those who still survived were mostly the toughest of their breed, there were quite a few less wizards wearing white robes than there had been a few short years ago.

A significant voting block among the Council still blamed Harry Dresden's actions for causing this result. Had he not challenged the balance of power between the Red Court and the White Council, or at least had the good sense to be killed by their agents very early in the war, then the uneasy truce that had existed between these groups would likely have continued on for another century at least. But because of his unsanctioned action now the Red Court was no more but it had cost the White Council much of its strength; a price this group did not agree with.

A smaller rival faction, but more intellectually honest, understood that the war between the Red Court and White Council had been inevitable and that the longer the White Council avoided it the worst it would have been for their side. Wizards had to be born and grow into their power, and maybe one child out of a hundred thousand kids born were gifted with enough magic power that was necessary to join the Council. That was also of course if the Wardens did not end up killing them as a rogue in their teen years.

On the other hand a single Red Court vampire could create dozens or even hundreds of its kind in the course of a single year. True, these would be relatively weak beings, primarily nothing more than thralls, especially at first until they gained experience and power. Still by sending even these weak troops against the wizards of the council in waves as the Red Court had done during the war, the vampires had an incredible effective tactic that cost them almost none of their true power. Even the most powerful wizards were forced to use their limited wells of magic to defend themselves against such waves and while they demonstrated ninety percent victories, that still mean ten percent losses compounded over time for the White Council. Those were not as easy to replace.

"Anyone got anything else for the group?" Murphy asked looking around at the players once more and judging who was ready to leave and who was still holding onto things. No one was going to share operational data of course. It was generally understood that each group would not share plans or tactics for fear of compromising each other's efforts if they fell into the wrong hands. Security meant allies had to operate independently.

When no one took her up on this question the tension built up in the room dissipated as each guest began thinking now about returning to their own bases of operation and focusing upon their own issues. There were no tearful goodbyes.

Felicia Raith was the first to leave and without the pomp and attention she normally demanded from any other place she departed from. Her focus was completely devoted on what to tell her cousin Lara so not to lose face if the events of this evening leaked out. Keeping face was keep to keeping her current position of power as the internal struggles of the White Court played out around her. Felicia was in her Porsche, a white one of course, within sixty seconds of the breakup of the meeting, gunning the engine and squealing the tires on the pavement down the block from Karrin's house in an attempt to put the night's events behind her at last. No one, especially Warden Ramirez, was particularly sad to see her go.

Warden Ramirez did seemed hesitant to leave, especially before Marcone departed, but a look from the crime boss was enough to tell the warden that he had something else he wanted to say to Murphy without the other factions listening in. That seemed all the more reason for Carlos to want to delay his departure but the cool attitude that Karrin offered him did not provide any justifiable reasons for him to stay. He made another verbal promise to look into sending some forces to Chicago if he could spare them; now realizing that having these ears on the inside would be a benefit to the White Council as well as those fighting here.

Karrin nodded her thanks and held the door for him as he departed to a waiting, unobtrusive rental car that would get him back to one of the magical pathways through the Nevernever that would lead him safely back to California. He tried to catch Murphy's eye one last time but she had already turned away letting the door close and leaving him standing alone on the front step until he finally shrugged it off and moved on to focus once more on his own responsibilities.

"Cloak has departed." Will's voice crackled over the walkie-talkie informing those still present of the warden's final departure.

"Satisfied now Marcone?" Murphy asked as Father Forthill brought some sandwiches and glasses of lemonade out and placed them on the coffee table that sat between those who remained. The priest had thought to offer them earlier when people showed up but none of the early arrivals had claimed to be hungry, well in Felicia's case at least not for food.

"You must understand that I am never satisfied Ms. Murphy." Marcone said taking a proffered sandwich; not the one on the top but rather the second one down everyone noted. The quirky act was quickly chalked up to a reflexive survival technique Marcone had probably developed to avoid the potentially poisoned cup when it was offered. He took a bite of the sandwich he selected and seemed to savor the taste of the simple fare before washing it down with a sip of lemonade.

"I forget how satisfying something simple like fresh deli meat can be for the soul." He said as he finished the half sandwich in another two bites making sure not to leave any crumbs on his tailored suit.

"Actually it's Oscar Meyer and Wonder Bread." Father Forthill said without letting the smile in his eyes reach his lips as Marcone tried to tell if the priest was pulling his leg, and then transferred to wondering if priests were even allowed to joke at all. "I have heard, however, that confession works wonders in that regard as well."

He let the comment hang there as Murphy snorted. "Can I offer you anything else Mr. Marcone?" The priest asked playing on words then reaching down and taking one of the half sandwiches for himself after Daniel Carpenter took two full ones from the plate. He was still a growing boy with a big appetite it seemed.

Marcone drew his hand back from the platter that still had six more full sandwiches on it. "Maybe later Father." He said trying to be polite and not play the old man's game.

"Feel free to call upon me whenever. Karrin?" Father Forthill turned away from Marcone and drew Murphy's attention to the food. "You need to eat as well child."

"Maybe later, after Marcone gets down to explaining whatever business he still has with us." Karrin replied turning her attention from the table and others squarely on the crime boss.

John sat unwavering under her intense gaze and finally at his own decision deigned to speak his mind. "I am concerned that the 'Rag Lady' has lost control and is therefore a danger. She has been leaving far more bodies in her wake than is prudent and this is likely to bring down upon us those very forces I was hoping you could enlist to our side."

"You have nothing to worry about." Karrin said trying to brush off the comments but it was obvious that all four of those present shared some level of similar concern.

"So you told my troubleshooter weeks ago." Marcone replied. "Then we tripped over half a dozen of her victims, or at least what was left of them, lying outside one of my business ventures. I am not sure if these six were looking for me and she took care of the problem or if instead she placed them there as some sort of warning to me, but it was only fortunate happenstance that my people found them and the illegal weapons they had been carrying and disposed of them before the authorities got wind of these events. Either way that action is incredibly sloppy work and potentially counterproductive. Therefore I ask you again are you certain we can continue to trust her judgment?"

"She is one of mine, not yours." Karrin said defensively. "And therefore I say we can trust her."

Marcone hesitated and then responded. "I will agree only in so far as she does not compromise my interests. I…"

"You will leave her alone. She is fine." Daniel jumped into the conversation even as the priest sought to calm him once more.

Marcone turned to look at the younger man with a stare that might make Death himself flinch. "Of the six bodies she left at the scene three were barely more than hamburger. The three most recognizable as having been human had only been disemboweled and then propped up together in such a way as to allow her to take the time to braid their intestines together like she was playing with some doll's hair. Do you truly wish to tell me that this qualifies as 'fine' in your world?" He said allowing the image he painted to set Daniel sinking back into the couch without an effective defense. Father Forthill sitting beside the young man made a sign of the cross at the visual image then Marcone turned back to face Murphy one more time.

"So I ask you again, are you certain you can trust the Rag Lady when we have so many other issues of concern to deal with?" He said without emotion in his voice.

Karrin looked torn for only a moment then met his eyes. "Yes, I trust her." She said, but her tone of voice was less than fully convincing to any of those sitting around the table.

Marcone seemed about to respond more when the walkie-talkie crackled unexpectedly. "Stand by in the house; we may have someone or something moving at your location." Will's voice sounded both surprised and uncertain since they should have sensed anyone's approach long before they got near the house. Surprise and uncertainty were never a good combination of emotions for most people, and less so for a werewolf.

Karrin looked at Marcone. "One of yours?" She asked hoping he would be able to explain.

He shook his head. "Mine have orders to stay with the car." He replied standing up and adjusting his clothing but obviously also checking the weapons he had concealed on his person.

"Play it cool that is why we have eyes out there." Murphy said to him as she tapped her own shoulder holster and looked toward the door.

"What we need right now is…" She said then paused with an instant of confusion then seemed to stagger back just as everyone else around the table did before their eyes brightened in a ferocious intensity looking from one to the other then to the coffee table.

"FOOD!" They screamed as one then all four lunged for the remaining sandwiches and knocking the walkie-talkie to the ground as they began gorging themselves with animalistic grunts that sounded less than human. It would have surprised them to know their sounds were being echoed from the other side of the radio as well.


	2. Chapter 2

**Honor's Debt**

**_Sunday _**

**_Chapter 2_**

I knew all that had happened at Murphy's little get together because I had sat quietly right among them watching these events unfold in front of me without anyone, even Karrin, being any the wiser that I was there. It was just easier that way both for me and for the others than having to face them and the problems that would create for all of us.

On the one hand there was the White Council, among a host of current others, still hunting for me. Bringing that kind of firepower down on Karrin and the others as she was struggling to hold things together was not something you do to your friends. Her home had been attacked twice since taking up this burden so I was not looking to add to that list.

On the other hand I was also sick of having everyone trying to look after me. Sure I appreciated the sentiment and the caring. The whole reason we keep fighting is for people we love in some cases. Therefore seeing Father Forthill and Daniel, especially Daniel, at the meeting nearly tore my heart out. He was looking more like dad every day and even though he had shoulders broad enough for it, I could already see worry lines of age building around his eyes. I hated having to stay away from him, not even giving him a hug from his big sister, but I did it because I loved him.

Why was I even here you ask if it was such a potential problem for both me and those I care about? Exactly _because_ it was such a problem for both me and those I care about. Normally I do not attend these meetings which Murphy or another faction sets up every few weeks or so except when specifically requested to attend. The last time, which had not been for the last few weeks, was to magically confirm it was Harry's shade we were talking to. That painful memory was another reason to not like being at the house as far as I was concerned.

But with Harry out of the picture I am more or less Chicago's only real defending wizard so I am obliged to stay aware of things going on in my city. That meant taking care to know who was coming and going and as such I set up an alarm inside the Nevernever that informs me when the pathway from Los Angeles to Chicago is used. I figure since I am being hunted by the Wardens and the White Council and their base of operations is currently in Los Angeles it makes good sense to know when someone comes through along that particular pathway. There were of course dozens of others paths and many conventional roundabout means someone could also take but I figure they would only do that if they knew I was watching for them. Unlike a former leather duster wearing wizard I could do subtle quite well.

I was less than happy when the alarm went off to see Carlos Ramirez was the one who came through that doorway, though the fact that he was alone and not leading a hunter-killer team made me feel just slightly better about the situation. Not surprisingly he too was a bit paranoid and did a quick magic scan of the area looking for threats as he came through holding his sword unsheathed and at the ready.

Over the past couple of years these pathway exit points were a preferred site for ambush if the enemy learned that you were coming through. It had been obvious in the fight with the Red Court that someone or many someone had been passing the vampires information on the movement of our forces. Thankfully the White Council had improved its operational security since then and now this type of information was compartmentalized to only a handful to both protect forces and identify leaks if they occur.

Carlos's detection spell never had a chance finding me as I was not using even a whisper of magic at the time and instead was standing beside two other street people pouring through their shopping cart of cans and collectables. They eagerly let me do this in exchange for the bottle of strawberry wine that I had been carrying and was happy to share. It was a great way to make friends quickly when you needed them I found.

As Carlos walked past sheathing his sword and close enough to me to kiss, that is if I had any desires in that area, one of the women I was with proclaimed the wine was almost as good as Strawberry Boone's Farm and handed the paper wrapped bottle back to me. The timing could not have been more perfect as this allowed me to tilt my head back and take a seeming sip while I watched him go past and not draw any suspicion from him in the least. I let him take four more rapid steps and then drew in a little magic to put the equivalent of a magic bug on his shoulder so that when he hailed a city cab at the end of the alley I could hear where he asked to be taken and knew at once he was headed to Murphy's house. No problem. I could take my own car and get there ahead of him since the cabbie would not know the suburbs as well as I did.

And so I did just that getting there a good ten minutes ahead of Carlos in fact. I parked a good distance away and tossed up my best veil knowing I'd have to get past whatever watchers Karrin may have out. Good thing too because will was just finishing a patrol in his wolf form, probably looking for familiar and unfamiliar scents before diving behind some bushes to change and toss on his conveniently stores sweat pants, shirt, and loafers.

It was happenstance that my path crossed his after he had searched this area because I knew when he was on his game he had a fair chance of literally catching wind of me. Hey I take these breaks when they come my way and scooted around to the back of Murphy's house while he finished dressing and then taking up his over watch position.

The next big trick was getting into Murphy's house without getting caught. I had done this before on occasion but it still presented a series of interesting challenges. For obvious reasons she kept her doors and windows shut, often locked, and while neither of those were particularly difficult to get past, doing so without alerting those inside was impossible; especially when they had company coming over and were even more alert for security issues that was usual. I thankfully had the perfect ace up my sleeve for this; that is if my ace was willing to play along.

Karrin had taken custody of Harry's cat Mister after the fire at his place and since her house came with no pet doors she had to open the back door to let him in and out each time he needed to do his cat things. Since our little trip to Mexico when Lea turned us all into dogs I found that I had gained a better understanding of animals, at least those I dealt with regularly. Lea had explained that this was just more of my sensitive magic manifesting itself and that she too had such affinity though it was restricted for the most part to her hounds and other canines like Mouse whom she told me it was better to never use this power on.

We even went one night to practice on some other dogs at the city kennel so I could learn how to do it correctly. My power, she explained, would allow me to work with all types of animals if I took the time to get to know and understand how they thought. Both the ancient Druids of Europe and Native American Shamans had shared this skill and even had the ability to farspeak with animals or see through their eyes.

I reached out carefully with my mind seeking the right one on the other side. I immediately sensed Karrin's overpowering constant worry, Father Forthill's calming demeanor, and even Daniel's energetic presence and was able to dismiss these all as I continued my mental search. I swear I had passed over Mister's mind two times before the combination of the sound of a can opener and convenient smell of the Father Forthill opening some tuna to make sandwiches roused the cat's mind just enough to actually allow me to sense his presence in the kitchen.

"Come to me Mister." I said picturing the cat's face in my mind as if I was staring into its eyes. This was how Lea had shown me how to communicate with the dogs so I figured it was basically the same principle. Then I added just a hint of compulsion and I knew from recent experience that I could get him to do what I wanted. "Isn't it time to come outside?" I placed the subtle suggestion into his mind.

His mental eyes stared back at me blankly though there was just a whisper of amusement in his Cheshire-like smile. Did I mention that generally I am not a huge fan of cats?

Not exactly the reaction I was hoping for but at least I found his mind and learned also that when a cat was napping they don't really have much of a mind to connect to. No problem at all for Chicago's premier sensitive wizard. Cats probably were just not as smart as dogs so I will just turn up the whole compulsion thing since the Laws of Magic say nothing is illegal about taking over an animal's will.

"Mister, I command you…" I said building my willpower up like a mental thunderstorm and then dropping over his like a sudden downpour. Only a moment later I felt the power slide away and dissipate into nothing like oil on top of water.

His eyes seemed to fill with mirth almost as if saying 'hold that though will you.' He then completely ignored my attempts at dominance as he licked one of his paws for a minute to ensure it was clean before turning his eyes back to me to allow me to proceed.

I doubled down on the strength of my will once more, battering it against the cat's mind. "You will do as I command! Your will is mine to control!" I said feeling the power of my spell and the way it left my body breathing heavily.

Mister rolled over on his back to rub it against the hard floor and reach an itch that his paws could not. He rolled back over onto his tummy and looked to see if his other paw could use cleaning at the moment as well. It didn't need it but he decided to lick it all the same as he waited for his opportunity to get to the tuna can on the counter.

My force of will battering upon him shattered into mist against the cat's unassailable mind and he smiled his Cheshire-like look at me once again patiently.

"I don't get it." I said in respectful awe. "How are you able to resist my control of your will?"

"I'm a cat Molly." He said as if that explained everything completely and when it was obvious by my facial expression that it did not he continued with a cat sigh. "We do not have will to break. We pretty much do whatever we want when we want. Willpower is a force to make a being do something it does not want to do. It is therefore an antithesis to our very nature. So we have evolved in such a way as no longer requiring such a primitive ability. I suspect a few more centuries and some of your kind may do the same."

I thought about the numerous times Mister had done whatever he wanted, from demanding Harry's attention by rubbing against his leg when he was busy to swatting Mouse's nose as a challenge over dominance of his food. I knew this insight was completely true. Cats were creatures of the here and now just as willpower was a force of the future. The two powers could not possibly coexist in the same being.

"Okay then, would you consider a bribe?" I asked resorting to a backup plan I did not know I had.

"Absolutely." He said and I suddenly had his entire attention as bribes were big things for cats. "What do you have to offer?"

"Well I was thinking you might want to come outside and visit some of your lady friends." Mister being male I figured I might as well start with the overriding male urges since I was running out of time.

"Pass." He said without much consideration. "I visited with the three sisters down the block just last night for a rather fun hour or so which is probably why I still feel so worn down." He said rolling onto his side and stretching in a cat-like content manner that communicated loud and clear he got his. I must admit that there is something disturbing in knowing the animals closest to you having better and more interesting romantic lives than you do. I shut that particular thought away for the moment.

"How about food then?" I asked.

"What have you got?"

"On me?" I said stepping back. "Well nothing at the moment but I can promise you…"

"Pass." He said dismissively again. "What part of being a cat and tied to the here and now are you not understanding? Besides as soon as the old white collar guy takes a step away I plan on getting my paws onto one of those tuna sandwiches he is making." He said rolling back to his paws and getting ready to take action.

I had unfortunately reached the end of my list, males being what they are and having so few drives to actually tempt with. It was not like I could get him a new cat collar to accessorize or anything. I was just about to break contact and start looking for another option on how to get in the house when I felt him tense up.

"Hello!" He said rather swarthy.

"Are you talking to me?" I asked.

"Um…sure." He replied though seemed distracted. "Tell you what. I'll get them to open the back door for you."

"Okay but I thought…" I said confused.

"Do you want me help on this or not?" Mister said with an anxious tone.

"Deal."

"Okay, be there in a minute or so."

From the back yard by the kitchen I heard Mister screech and run up to bounce his claws against the door and then step back, wait a second and do it again. Being a thirty pound cat the door literally shook in its frame with each of these pounces.

"Ms. Murphy I think the cat wants out." Father Forthill's voice carried to me even through the door.

"I'll get him." Daniel said and I could hear my brother's heavy booted footsteps as he crossed the wooden floor coming toward me.

"I would not get between him and the door. I have seen him knock Harry down once or twice when he is in one of these moods." Father Forthill's warning was light but still serious.

After a second to undo the three locks and the chain, the door swung wide as Daniel stepped aside and Mister crouched ready to pounce but looking at me, even invisible, standing on the other side with a 'come on I have not got all night' look. I scooted in quietly and off to the side as Mister then went racing out the door.

Daniel closed and rebolted the door with a chuckle. "Good luck buddy." He said shaking his head.

"I will expect you to add that to your list of confessions this Sunday Daniel." Father Forthill said with a disapproving tone.

"I did not do anything." Daniel tried to plead innocent. "It was the cat!" He said walking back into the living room and obviously taking a seat from the way the couch cushions groaned.

My next problem, which was a much bigger concern, was that as I crossed the threshold I literally left about ninety percent of my power outside which is not a good thing where magic is concerned. Comparatively Harry would be lucky to light a cigarette with the power left to him under such conditions; and fire magic came somewhat natural in his case. Thankfully for me veils were also easy so I could use what little power I had left for maintaining the one I had and feel fairly secure that no one would sense me providing I did not do anything stupid and get caught.

The downside was that Karrin's home really was not designed with convenience for invisible spies in mind. In fact it was a pretty basic box in design and there were no obvious open corners without chairs or lamps where I could hang out invisibly and just listen in.

As I learned in the past, standing around under a veil meant taking the chance of either having someone bump into me, which leads to a rather awkward and sometime violent moments thereafter, or having Mister come by and decide to rub against my leg, which would look rather strange to everyone else who noticed this as well. How cats can see through a veil is one of the great mysteries of magic. Thankfully he was out of the way for the second concern, but the first was still a significant issue.

Finally I decided there really was only one option open to me based upon the layout of Murphy's house. If I was going to observe and not be tripped over by someone needing to use the bathroom I only had one safe place. My veils have a moving silently element to them now as well so I carefully climbed and then sat silently in a lotus position right in the middle of Murphy's kitchen table figuring that if the guests were all going to be in the living room this was as good a location as I was likely to find and still be able to see and hear what was going on.

The first moment of potential flaw in my plan came when Father Forthill finished making the platter or sandwiches and placed them, along with half a dozen glasses filled with ice, and a pitcher of lemonade, on the table literally inches from my feet. Considering that it had been over a day since I had anything that could be remotely considered a meal this was not only inconvenient but damn annoying as well. Worst of all there was no way I could come up with to sneak a sandwich and not increase the chances of getting caught. I wonder if Harry ever had to endure such tortures when he was the magical defender of Chicago.

I decided instead to focus upon the conversations taking place around me as a means of ignoring the temptation of the food knowing that Mister would undoubtedly laugh at what this silly concept of willpower was denying me. By listening in to my brother and Father Forthill chatting I soon understood that the resistance council was meeting today at a request from Marcone's faction. This was good in that it explained why Warden Ramirez had come to town, thankfully not to hunt down a certain rather cute and perky wizard, but rather to coordinate efforts.

I did find it interesting that Marcone had called the meeting because to my knowledge he had never done so before but just took care of situations his own way and occasionally passed along results or intelligence his agents had gathered in the process. There had to be something fairly big for him to change his ways of doing business.

I also had a passing worry that Carlos might try the magic seeking spell again when he arrived at Karrin's house but hoped that him realizing this would be seen as a rather serious breach of trust among supposed allies would prevent him from doing so.

Lucky for me Felicia Raith showed up at almost the same moment and accompanied him to the door giving the warden something else to distract his attention and another potential threat to keep his eyes on; though I also think his eyes should occasionally linger above her chest when making these not so subtle sidelong assessments.

My last moment of near panic at my choice of locations came when Marcone stepped into the kitchen and took the chair that was at the end of the table to sit on rather than the one the others had left for him. I thought at first by his determined step that he was coming right for me, but my veil had held and I choked down the squeak I was going to make when I realized he was actually looking through me and out the window behind for any telltale signs of potential threats. It only took a few moments for my heart to stop racing once the meeting actually commenced.

I listened in to all that was said and made mental notes of the key points. Marcone's agent murdered by a vampire of course was not particularly good news for our cause. I would need to try and get word to Thomas and see if the White Court or some of its members had stopped playing ball or had started hedging their bets in case we lost.

Lara swore they would not, but I understood she would also put her house above her word to us. Likewise I agreed with the others that there was always the possibility of one of her clan going rogue and joining forces with the other side to advance his or her position within the various families and possibly take Lara down. To the Whites such deception and backstabbing was as natural as their lust.

Since my soulgaze with Thomas before Mexico I knew how badly he was hurting over both the course his life had taken since encountering the skin walker and suspected what losing Harry had most likely done to him. I also knew he would still answer me if I asked the question as long as I stayed safely away from him; preferably in another state. I will admit openly that Thomas actually scared me. I loved Harry, but there was a part of me now that _wanted_ Thomas. I had to keep that part under control. God when did my life start becoming as bad as a Twilight novel?

Carlos's report of something powerful coming into Chicago definitely got my attention as well. I had not sensed any new powerful players and being a sensitive wizard this usually gave me some indication of such things. But that did not mean whatever came through was also not powerful enough to block my general sensing of it. The major players in the Faerie Courts could all do so at will I had found out when dealing with Lea. Luckily I had an idea of how to check out not only if there was a new player in town, but also a means to try and narrow down the location of this Hive Marcone had mentioned as well.

Carlos's offer of support and his promise to keep his forces off my back was welcome news. Not that I trusted this mind you. I could see one or more of his junior wardens wanting to make a name for themselves by bringing in Harry's rogue apprentice; well at least her head. But still there was an awful lot of magical fighting going on in Chicago and we could definitely use a few more wizards on our side to balance this out somewhat. If that meant I needed to keep clear of them in the process I would easily accept that for the little respite their presence would provide.

I was actually fairly happy by the time the meeting was breaking up, in part because keeping up the veil powered starting to wear on me, but more so because no one had touched the sandwiches and I planned to flinch a couple as I made my escape on their heels. Both of these plans were completely screwed up when Marcone decided to stick around to talk to Karrin about my recent activities while eating the very sandwich I had set my eye on. It was also emotionally rough sitting there having him report to my friends on my recent activities.

Okay, for the record, let me state here and now that I was not responsible for the actions that he described to my friends. It was true that I had no compulsion any longer about killing the Fomor or their agents; in fact I was fully supportive of the idea.

The truth was, however, that I tended to merely provide the impetus for violence and then let them do these horrible things to each other. Remember I do not have the kind of power necessary to do to them what Marcone described. I was not Harry, I could not throw gouts of fire like he could; which was a pity as far as Chicago was concerned.

When those types of things are required, that is where Harry's godmother Lea comes in.

Lea is the handmaiden of the Winter Court which means she has roughly the same amount of awe inspiring power as you average comic book super villain mastermind; only with perhaps one-tenth the moral convictions. Under her philosophy of war, fear and dominance are the accepted means to establish peace and so she had come up with more and more creative ways to make the Fomor's hirelings fear the Rag Lady. Let me also say that the braided intestines were actually only one of her more lighthearted plays that I had been forced to watch but thankfully not participate in.

I also hate to admit this and even shudder as I do so, but to be fair Lea's plan actually works.

Before Lea began to assist me and take on the role of the Rag Lady herself, the Fomor's went almost unmolested through the city. Marcone's forces occasionally complicated one or two of their operations. Murphy and the others sometimes got lucky as well and broke up a plan. Even a lone, cute, perky wizard had a success or two at first. But these were pinpricks that the Fomor just ignored and continued on with their own devices.

Then with Lea's assistance the Rag Lady arrived in Chicago.

At first she simply interrupted their operations and sewed discord and confusion among their forces allowing their targets a chance to escape. It was admittedly not much because in the grand scheme of things that is all I was capable of as I began my training.

Lea sat on the sidelines at this time providing me schooling but took no active role at first as she judged my power for herself. Finally she offered to assist me but only if I was willing to ask this of her. And while I was certain Harry would not approve of my doing so and becoming obligated to one of the Faerie Court, I knew I could not wage this kind of war alone. I asked Lea for her help with this war and she agreed. And soon thereafter the Fomor's forces began to understand what it was like to know real fear.

Their agents that went out alone, even on relatively simple missions, stopped coming back. Many disappeared completely with only a rag scrap left at the scene to advertise to any who followed what had happened to them. Some of their forces were left in such a way to guarantee they were found by those looking for them and hopefully no one else because the message those bodies conveyed was not a pleasant one.

Soon the same thing was happening to pairs, then trios, then groups even as large as five of the Fomor. And at the scene of every encounter was left a bloody rag to ensure there was no doubt in their minds or any others planning ill will upon Chicago who it was that had taken down these forces.

I set up a rather ingenious method to know what they were up to, or at least when they were on the move. Lea and I did not try to strike all the time, and certainly not against every mission they undertook, but we did it enough to keep them wondering if they would meet the Rag Lady any time they left their safe houses. In fact Lea taught me that by not striking too often we actually helped build the fear in the other side, making them wonder more and more when the next attack would come rather than just assuming it would from the very outset. Fear, she explained worked best when a mind was unable to determine underlying patterns since patterns provided comfort. The Rag Lady never again followed a pattern.

This randomness also allowed us to avoid most of the traps they set for us. The Fomor are not stupid and they quickly tried to turn the tables on us once they understood the threat we posed. Their plans almost succeeded one time, except those coming for me had expected only one Rag Lady and when they had a certain perky wizard cornered and nearly defeated the appearance of a second Rag Lady turned the tables on the dozen of them that had me trapped, injured, and exhausted. Thankfully Lea ensured that none of those twelve survived to spill that particular secret. Instead this loss caused the Fomor to pause and rearmed their forces as the notoriety of the Rag Lady increased from the swath of their agents' bodies that failed revenge operation had left behind.

In truth Lea only occasionally took direct action in such events and has been doing so less and less as of late; the six bodies outside Marcone's club being a notable exception. The reason for this reluctance is that the Fomor and their agents now fear the Rag Lady and this allows me to use that fear against them if I plan things correctly. The vast majority killed now are done so by their own side as panic sweeps in among them. Larger groups therefore actually are more of a problem than sending out single agents would be; not that I plan on informing them of this bit of knowledge.

I actually have to spend more of my effort now carefully selecting where and when to hit them for fear of the potential injuries to civilians. Those outside Marcone's club were a perfect example of this. The six were attempting to take a child from a nearby apartment. It was part of a government housing project and not the kind of place that the police were likely to respond rapidly for the report of half a dozen suspicious men, even if the men were carrying large illegal weapons. In that neighborhood unless you were trying to muscle in on someone's drug trade traffic you were not going to face opposition when walking around armed either. Luckily the Rag Lady was close by and was able to get to them before they got to their target.

One thing I had learned from Lea was that the Fomor and pretty much most mythological type races all had developed long-standing blood feud enemies over their course of their existence. This was because the long-spanned races were of course in constant competition for power and territory with other long-spanned races and this inevitably led to conflict.

I am certain if the Girl Scouts for example ever became an immortal race unto themselves then another group, probably the Weight-Watchers or something similar, would take offense at the mind-controlling aspect of their cookies. The two would declare a war of extinction between them as they battled each other throughout the eons.

Knowing then they had enemies I decided to check this out. It took some research at the public library since I was denied the easy access of the Internet everyone else would use. I was also not about to negotiate with Lea for even more information that always came with a price. Eventually I found out that the Fomor's primary enemies had been the Jotens from Norse mythology. I did not exactly know what a Joten looked like but did learn they also worked with trolls and I did know what trolls looked like.

Fomor tactics were pretty much standard after a few thousand years. Being as tough as they were, the half dozen turtleneckers who arrived outside the complex started by scouting out the building and looking for ways in and ways out of which there was only one, an obvious violation of the fire code. They then split into two-man teams, one carrying a modern automatic weapon with silencers or suppressors, something they started doing after the early successes of the resistance's efforts, and the other partner holding one of their urchin shooting pipes in one hand and a nasty backwards bent dagger in the other. This combination provided them the flexibility of fighting in both the old world and new as they prepared to enter the building in these pairs.

The Fomor also had very poor eyesight, which since they lived underwater seemed to make sense. In place of this limitation the race had developed a sense of sonar that allowed them to 'see' by making small clicking noises and having the sounds reflect back to them off of nearby objects much like bats did. Karrin had been the first of our team to learn this and shared it with the rest as we developed better tactics that accounted for this.

Sure, I know what you are thinking. Molly you have your Rave spell that shoots light and sounds. Surely that would confuse and take these creatures down.

Yes you would indeed be correct. Except they had a nasty tendency of sensing magic as a wizard drew it in so they would merely close their eyes, well ears, as the spell detonated and avoid the majority of the disorienting effect that such an attack would try to achieve.

Sure I could keep the spell going for a period of time to blind and then attack them, but normally long terms sound attacks like this merely put them off balance. The result was the ones carrying the automatic weapons would just open up on full automatic spraying in every direction hoping to hit whatever was creating the sound in the first place.

As I said a big part of my problem was picking fights where innocents would not get hurt, and in a situation like this one with three guys carrying automatic rifles spraying a housing community did not qualify as a safe option. But hey, I figured I had about five thousand years or more of technological advancement to draw upon.

A really loud I-Pod for example could cause the same disorientation but of course I could not get near one without it frying no matter how hard I tried. Steve Jobs had wrote me a personal letter saying they were not going to honor my warranties after the ninth one exploded so that option was out. But hey there was always Marco Polo.

As the group of six finished checking out the building and regrouped before storming their way in I pulled a couple of useful items out of my utility belt. Yeah I know I look a lot more like Wonder Woman than Batman but the carry all belt was a much better assist than a lasso of truth at the moment so deal with the costume change.

I struck a waterproof match and lit the fuse on my present, tossing the result off the roof and right onto the front stairs to the project. Firecrackers are illegal in Illinois which means it takes me at least ten additional minutes to find someone willing to sell them to me than it would if Wal-Mart were allowed to sell them. Firecrackers are also not something ancient creatures that lived under Lake Michigan for the last few centuries had any experience with.

The Fomor turned to note their gravity fed arrival just as the first of the string of two hundred began to explode followed quickly by a pair of smoke bombs that landed among them as well. Total price including the match was about three dollars. Yep, it was a bad day to be a Fomor.

Unfortunately, like I said earlier, Fomor are tough so although the series of explosions blinded and disoriented them, they did not fall down and become quivering masses of jelly as I would have liked. They instead staggered, shaking their heads, and trying to cover their ears or clear out the ringing and get some semblance of control back into their lives. This is where I learned magical timing was crucial.

I pulled in my magic while they were disoriented and unable to truly sense me and as their swaying and staggering began to lessen released the spell I had thought through in my mind. Illusions are nifty if you know how to use them and say what you will about what a mean bastard Lea was, she certainly had taught me much on how to use them to the best effect.

As a sensitive wizard I can also make illusions that touch upon all senses, which is important when fighting things like the Fomor. Sonar would go right through the purely visual ones Harry likes to create but because mine also contain sound I am able to make the Fomor 'see' my illusions even though they are just as fake as Harry's.

So imagine being disoriented and the first thing your slowly recovering senses take in is a fifteen foot troll coming through the very door you had been planning to enter through a moment before. Did I mention Fomor dislike trolls because trolls eat Fomor; and pretty much anything else.

Because the Fomor at the back of the group were the ones most shielded from the firecrackers' effect, they were therefore the pair first able to begin to recover and suddenly see one of their age old foes bearing down upon them looking for a snack. Thousands of years of instinct took over as I moved my troll in among the group of six and they instinctually decided like most sentient beings they did not want to be on the menu.

The pair in the back opened fire with both the automatic weapon one carried and the urchin wand of the other. The former tore through the illusionary troll but also ripped real holes into three of the shooter's companions. Likewise the latter's ball of urchin slammed acid into the back of the head of the fourth companion right in front of himself.

The troll's roars along with the click and cries of the Fomor set off a cacophony of sound that kept them all off balance and with time not to think only to react. In the real world we often call that panic.

As the thirty round clip finally emptied the Fomor dropped the weapon and drew its own knife only to have a blade from one of its wounded companions which was also now striking at the fake troll find Fomor flesh and almost completely sever the arm holding the recently drawn blade that clattered to the ground.

Within a few more seconds all of the Fomor were down, four fatally wounded and the other two severely injured. Lea took pleasure in finishing the last two off with an ice magic that caused their bodies to nearly explode. She also took a moment to compliment my handiwork and for once did not offer any corrections.

Of course no one inside the building came out or even looked out the windows to see what was going on. The residents were also well trained to hunker down at the sounds of gunfire and wait for the silence of aftermath to assess damages.

"Can we chalk that one up as a success?" I asked noting that Lea seemed far more distracted than usual and wondering what else was going on in her Faerie mind. I was busy checking the Fomor for cash, not that I kept much, only enough to eat, but I always made sure to drop it at a nearby church as a means to help those affected by these events.

"Hmmm?" She turned to look at me and realized I had asked a question. "Oh yes child that was truly adequate for once." She said with a smile as she magically transported the bodies and their gear away, along with us, from the apartment complex to behind a nearby business that now turned out to be one of Marcone's. There was nothing we could do about the blood, but all things considered that was a relatively small concern.

"Really that is all you have to say?" I asked. Something was distracting her and that worried me.

"Indeed." She said as she began to carve up the remains and do things I would prefer not to think about much less relate. "In fact I believe it is time for me to let you spread your wing a bit without me hovering over you constantly as I have other matters to attend to at the present."

"What other matters?"

"Winter Court matters child." She said with a smile as cold as the subject that also communicated that was all I was going to get on that subject.

"And if I need your assistance?"

"Then you need but call to me." She replied. "Hopefully I will be able to reach you before you look like these now do." She said and again I am not going to describe what she was talking about except to say consider the worst thing you can possibly think of and multiply it by a factor of six; or maybe six and four-tenths.

Yeah I got to think back on all of this as Marcone described the scene behind his business to Murphy and the others. It hurt a bit to see the deeper fear and concern for me in their eyes. The only upside to all of this was if the demonstration was enough to shake even a stone cold killer like Marcone, who knew he was probably still my ally, what would the Fomor think of this? It might explain why they had called for reinforcements.

Will's call over the radio was just enough to draw me out of my memories and therefore sense something close by was calling up magic. I reflexively pulled up what little magic I still had as a shield, knowing it would never be enough to block a serious attack just as the wave of magic from outside washed over all of us.

The hunger compulsion was a new idea I had never faced before, but since it too was sensitive-magic based I had some natural resistance to it. That benefit combined with my shield that also partially blocks magic of this type was enough to keep me from becoming as ravenous as the others, though I still regretted the fact they finished off all the sandwiches before I could snag even just one.

I had to put first things first however. I dashed out the front door noting that none of the others even sensed my passing as they were so intent upon feasting. As soon as I crossed outside the threshold my magic came back to me and I felt refreshed if not at my full strength. I called up my own magic as I looked around trying to find whoever had attacked us.

I knew Will's favorite overlook position was on the roof of the house next door as this provided him observation of the front and back doors, along with the closest side of the house, and the street for nearly two blocks in either direction. That would be a good place to start since he had obviously spotted the intruder just before the spell went off. Hopefully I would either link up with him, or he could at least point me in the right direction.

The problem with these suburban neighborhoods is every other house seems to have a damn white picket fence. Thankfully Harry had made me practice running and since the fences were only three feet so or high I was able to hurdle almost as gracefully as my brother the former track star. I landed in the neighbor's backyard and looked up at the roof hoping to see some sign of Will. That is when I understood from the growling that the fence was actually there to keep in their dog.

I spun toward the sound pulling out my wand to focus the little battle magic I had at my disposal and hoping I was not staring down a Mastiff or a Doberman. What I found instead was Will, and not Will the Werewolf, but just Will the former college student still in his sweat suit lying protectively over a dog bowl of what looked to be Kibbles and Bits and making a low threatening growl as if he thought I planned to steal his dinner.

Yeah there really is not anything witty you can say in the middle of a situation like that so I kept facing him, though avoided looking him in the eyes, and slowly backed up. "Ummm… not really I am not that hungry at the moment." I said until I felt the pickets on the back of my thighs. Will's eyes followed me but he made no further of aggression but instead merely lowered his face toward the bowl and scooped up another mouthful of dog food.

My free hand, the one no holding the wand toward Will, grabbed the top of the picket fence and I vaulted back over, happy to note Will showed no signs of following me. Okay where do I go next?

I quickly surmised that since Will had seen the intruder yet Marcone's bodyguards were still in the car, that probably meant the spell caster was in the backyard of Murphy's house as well. Having been there recently I knew it was a perfect place to listen in since the old house was short on insulation. Spies were no good.

I raced around the back and noted that oddly enough the street lights, those lights actually out by the street, did not do all that well illuminating the areas behind the houses that contained various sheds, alleys, and parked cars. There were also just way too many shadows for the bad guy to hide in and attempt to do harm to one cute and perky wizard. Not a problem. I had a Rave spell that was perfect for this.

I fired off my Rave spell which created a series of fireworks, aiming for the area right above Murphy's backyard. The explosions of colored lights were not as good as a spotlight of course, but the strobe light effect they created would keep an opponent off balance since only I knew the pattern of when each was going to explode.

It also was just enough light for me to just catch something or someone low to the ground sliding away behind a nearby shed. I only had an instant but I sensed it had an inhuman natural grace about itself. Did not matter of course for the chase was on.

I ran around that corner and caught what might have been movement racing through a series of parked cars. I dogged after it and as I came around the corner of an old Buick I suddenly tripped over something lying on the gravel and crashed to the ground. I should tell you that the Rag Lady's rags are sort of thin as far as padding is concerned.

I crawled up to my knees and turned to look only to find Mister lying on his side looking at me with a sense of euphoric contentment that should be rated pornographic, even as far as felines are concerned. His body showed a series of scratches and love bites that made me worry for his health by his smile pushed that all away. He left one eye open for a moment looking me up and down, and then sighed contently, closed his eye, and immediately began to snore.

Did I mention I am not really a fan of cats?


	3. Chapter 3

**Honor's Debt **

**_Sunday Night_**

**_Chapter 3_**

One of the advantages of being an outlaw is you really do not have to follow a curfew in order to get to school or a job. In fact it is somewhat important for survival that you ensure you do not develop any patterns that those hunting you could uncover and then use against you.

As such, even though it was almost ten at night on a Sunday, I was not about to go seeking shelter for the evening but instead figured I'd try to learn a little more about the troubles the alliance was facing. Knowing what you are up against provides a serious benefit to your planning process and even your survival ability. That was one of those lessons Harry tried to instill in me that I never really got the chance to thank him for. Lucky for me the county medical examiner Butters also tended to work the graveyard shift so he was my next destination as the timing for such a meeting was perfect.

I first wanted to ensure the magic used on us was not going to cause any long-term damage. I peeked into Murphy's back window and saw the ravenous spell which had struck us had either had now run its course or its effects had exhausted those inside. I have to admit at first glance I worried for a moment that the spell had caused those inside to turn their hunger upon each other, sort of a shades of the Walking Dead I guess, because the first person I caught sight of was Father Forthill with a mass of blood red all around his mouth. It took me a moment to associate this with the strawberry preserves jar in his hand and how the jar's opening perfectly matched the size of the ring around the priest's mouth. It calmed me and made me smile to note that the red was from a hidden love of Smuckers and not a craving for brains. The audible and familiar post-Thanksgiving groans from the other room gave witness to tummies too full for their own good and ensured me the others were more or less alright just as healthy as well.

All in all I had to give the opposing wizard grudging credit. The spell, as odd as it was, still demonstrated effectiveness in tapping on the base instincts of those under its power. Sensitive magic I had learned, worked best when it merely enhanced feelings that were already present in the spell's recipients rather than creating desires from scratch.

I drove over to the medical examiner's office after changing into a pair of simple sweats I kept in the trunk of my car for these types of side trips. I got the secondary sense that I was being watched the whole drive over but when I tried to catch anyone following me or even use my wizard sight to spot someone I couldn't. I know in the horror movies the beautiful heroine, played in this case by a perky wizard, usually shrugs it off as just an odd feeling. Not me. I had too many enemies to doubt myself. Another sweep of the surrounding area once I arrived did not reveal anything either and I purposely parked a distance away to ensure there were not a lot of places to hide from me.

"Stay alert Molly!" I said to myself as I walked across the nearly empty parking lot.

Even before I reached for the bell the buzzer to the door went off allowing me access inside to an otherwise secure government building. "GIRLFRIEND!" Crystal called to me across the entranceway in a voice nearly loud enough to wake the dead; which at the ME's office is probably a job-related hazard not worth thinking too much about.

Crystal was a large, certainly not fat, but tall and sturdy built woman. She was the kind you would picture giving birth to an entire football team, possibly all at once. She is still all woman though, and one often heard the term Amazon used to describe her which she took not only as a point of pride but told me once she had a custom-made Wonder Woman costume created for herself because of it. Really, take it from me it is probably better you don't ask any more about that particular subject as I try not to.

Anyway a couple years back I happened to sort of set her up with Butters for a date, more as a joke and payback for his claims of me being his girlfriend, but otherwise not with a particularly hostile intention behind it. So you get the full picture of the entertainment Butters is almost a foot shorter and would weight a hundred pounds less than Crystal if he was not such an avid fan of polka music and beerfests which require him to dress up in green knickers. You know what I said about not thinking too much about the Wonder Woman costume thing? Yeah include the Butters in his Alpine garb in that as well; strictly for your own health.

Anyway, Crystal had been complaining about how she could not find a man capable of satisfying her needs and keeping up with her and I sort of told her that I was breaking up with Butters because I could not keep up with him since he fit the old sexual stereotypes of a polka man. No there are no myths about the sexual prowess of polka players, at least there were not until a few years ago. The fact that I created such a myth now should have polka players everywhere, okay all three of them in the state of Illinois at least, making statues to me! Yeah, it was not the nicest thing I ever did to Butters but it still was awfully funny at the time.

Only fate sort of stepped in and after a couple years the two of them were still dating each other and had taken four honeymoons to some truly interesting towns without even having a marriage ceremony or coming back with a single picture that did not appear to be taken from the balcony of their hotel room in a last minute rush.

Okay, I should be happy about such things in an altruistic fashion since I consider them both to be friends. The only problem was because of the story I had told Crystal, she really believed Butters had worn me out, so she felt the need to constantly pull me aside and share how exhausted he was making her as well as some sort of girl bonding thing between us. I swear not only is it terrible to know that everyone else, now even thirty pound cats, had a better sex life than you, but it is worse when your friends want to share the gory details with you.

Before I could take four steps Crystal came running across the space and gave me a hug, literally lifting me off the ground and then setting me back down. I am not some little runway model myself but standing next to her I could be mistaken for one. "Hey girl you looking a bit drawn, is everything okay?" She said noting the tired circles around my eyes.

"Yeah I am just a little stiff." I said wincing at the cuts the gravel had left on my knees among other bruises and injuries over the past few months. "I am just not getting the sleep I should."

"I know the feeling. I can't even sit down at the moment." She gave me that conspiratorial smile that I had come to fear. "Last night was anniversary of the battle of the Alamo. So my margarine-man called himself Santa Anna and spent last night spanking me so hard I can't even sit on my chair. God I loved it." She said with a sigh that could not be feigned. I meanwhile did everything I could to wipe that image from my mind as well and keep myself from shuddering when I couldn't.

"Is he available for a quick couple questions?" I asked looking at the clock over her shoulder so I would not have to see her grinning in memory and therefore also giving the impression that I was pressed for time.

"Sure he is down in Research Room 2." She said walking back with me until I reached the corridor behind the security station and left her leaning up against her desk. "Do you want me to let him know you are on your way or do you prefer to surprise him?"

"Surprise him if that is okay with you. And could you do me a favor and order a dozen pizzas." I asked dropping a wad of cash I had collected over the weeks from dead Fomor; most of it still had dried blood on it. I tried not to put the sticky bills in the Church collection boxes but kept these for myself for handling little situations like this.

She looked at the money and then me and finally just shrugged. "Sister, for all you did for me, little requests like that are the least I can do for you." She said rubbing her backside with a mixture of grin and grimace. "One day maybe I can find you a nice man as a way to say thank you!"

For those who do not know there truly are bells of doom that toll for you; I know because I had just heard them. "Ummm… thanks?"

I entered Research Room 2 and found Butters literally at the desk sleeping on top of his keyboard with a small line of spittle dripping onto the spacebar. Off to the side was the picture of Crystal in her Wonder Woman costume that I had hoped never to see yet prominent displayed. I will have to remind myself once this whole Fomor thing is over to erase pretty much the entire last three years or so from my memory. It won't be bad, I can have those birthdays all over again.

Still, first things first. "Hey Santa Anna stop remembering the Alamo and wake up, it's me Molly." I said shaking his rollaway chair and getting only a worn out groan of exhaustion by way of response. "Come on big guy I need to run some questions past you and Bob wherever you have him stashed to get your take and then I am out of your hair." Probably not the right phrase with a guy suffering from premature balding since age twelve or so.

At the mention of Bob's name one of Butter's very bloodshot eyes opened up and regarded me as he considered whether his keyboard had enough pillow-like comfort to justify ignoring me and go right back to sleep. Thankfully it did not reach that level though that did not help improve his demeanor at all.

"I'm not talking to Bob at the moment." He said in a rather tense and whispering tone that seemed to suggest a whopper of a hangover. "However, if you want to talk to him, quietly please, he is right over there." He said flicking his fingers in a general direction of the other side of the room.

I turned my eyes that direction but other than some cabinets full of medical stuff that I could not begin to identify, the required standing skeleton every medical classroom seems to have, and what was either a six-year-old's diorama of the human colon or the world's worst papier-mâché ashtray, there was no sign of Bob the Skull.

"What happened that you two are not talking at the moment?" I asked as I walked over and started opening cabinets looking for a skull that he needed to keep hidden considering how many people would literally kill to possess it. "Did you two have a fight or something?"

"I'm also not talking about that either." Butters replied rubbing his temples. "Bob get out here and answer Molly's questions so I can get some peace and quiet." His tone was a little fiercer than I was used to hearing from the mousy guy.

Suddenly the eyes on the skull atop the display skeleton lit up with pinpricks of red in their depths. I had to admit it was a rather ingenious way to hide a skull right in plain sight.

"Hello Molly." Bob said in a less than excited tone as well. "What can I help you with?"

I was stunned by this reaction as well. This was the most subdued that I had ever heard Bob in the short period of time that I actually understood he was sentient. That revelation came at no little shock and I have to say it explains a few things about Mister's fondness for rubbing his face in my chest that I had thought was some odd form of kitty affection.

I looked back and noted Butters was downing a handful of Tylenol and a bottle of water so I lowered my voice to a whisper. "What happened between you two?" I asked Bob knowing Butters was not about to answer me but now a bit worried.

"Well after begging him for months, Butters finally consented to let me do a ride-along in his mind last night and…" Bob had not had the foresight to speak at a whispering level.

"Shut up Bob!" Butters said more than a little embarrassed and upset. "Molly, there was tequila…a lot of tequila…"

"Yes there was General Santa Anna and you told me to answer her questions!" Bob defended himself.

"Not those questions!"

"What do you mean a ride-along?" I asked confused until I suddenly put the pieces together of how he used Mister and then remembered Crystal's current discomfort. "Oh you mean… oh!... EEEWWWW!" Yep! Absolutely wiping the entire mind clean once this Fomor thing is over; especially now that even skulls are having sex more often than me!

"Tell me about it." Bob said dejectedly. "I am a spirit of knowledge and now I have learned there are just something better NOT to experience!"

"Hey!" Butters said in indignation and causing himself more pain in the process.

"Honestly Molly, when you leave could you get rid of all my romance novels and maybe bring me back some crime dramas or Field and Stream magazines or something?" He pleaded. "I think I need to focus on a whole different aspect of existence and bass fishing might be just the right thing, though they wear those funny wading pants so it might still be too close for comfort."

"Keep it up bone boy!" Butters said now a little red in the face. "May I remind you that the spurs were YOUR idea?"

"For the costume and authenticity only! I did not think she would like…"

"Alright enough you two!" I said shaking my head to keep any images from forming. "I came here for information on the Fomor."

"Well thankfully for all of us they do not often wear spurs!" Bob said under his breath, which for being a disembodied spirit in a skull is probably a really weird way to describe that particular voice level. Still it was not low enough to not be heard by the medical examiner.

"I swear one more comment like that from you and the next time I have guests over I'm filling your skull with salsa or cheesewhiz as a party platter!" Butters threatened.

"With your social calendar that is not really much of a threat Butters!" Bob laughed.

"Boys! Enough!" I said turning to them both. "The Fomor, what else have you learned about them?"

Thankfully my mommy tone was enough to set them back to a normal state of mind. The little medical examiner actually looked sheepishly at me and then began to speak. "Marcone sent one of their bodies to me and I was able to do a workup, or at least as much a one as was possible without understanding their full biology." Butters began reaching over and grabbing a black file off of his desk. "Working on one of them made me feel like I was in a studio making a version of the alien autopsy video."

"Yeah, with the whole gill thing in their necks I knew they had to be pretty different than us." I said thankful for my high school biology class to make this kind of observation.

"Yeah but that is the least of it." Butters said. "They are more akin to jellyfish or squids than humans in most ways. For example they have blood but do not have a heart, or at least not an organ we would recognize and call a heart."

"Then how does the blood pump through their body?" I asked knowing blood is not much use if not flowing. Yeah biology class!

"Their entire circulatory system is actually a giant heart itself." He said and immediately noted my confused look. High school biology only got you so far with some conversations.

"Picture instead of a heart pumping blood it is the very veins and arteries in your body that contracted at alternating points, but in such a way as to push the blood through your body all the same." He explained. "Their circulation system just creates this natural rhythm and the blood just flows."

"Then anytime you injure one you are at least partly damaging their heart?" I asked hopefully knowing it was a great way to take down most really bad things that had hearts.

"Yes and no." He replied with a pause. "Yes you are damaging their heart in a general sense, however their bodies have all these internal valves that act like cutoff switches. Once they sense an injury nearby that is allowing blood to escape, probably by the slow loss of blood pressure, these close and the blood flows around these points like cars avoiding a traffic jam." He said explaining it slowly for me. "This is why they can sustain quite a few bullet wounds to the body without falling over but a single good sword stroke in the same general place can disable them rather rapidly. The blade creates a bigger problem to work around and their bodies cannot easily adapt to that level of damage."

"So how much damage can they take?" I asked.

"Lots." He replied. You could conceivably cut off an entire limb and after a minute or two to stabilize they could get right back up again. Like I said their blood pressure level seems to be key to this. By the same token fire at the skin level will damage flesh but do very little else. I suspect this ability also allows some form of long-term regeneration, probably similar to starfish growing new limbs."

"Well that is depressing. So if we only injure them they will likely be back in a few weeks?" I asked.

"Hours to days probably."

I shook my head at the news. "What about their brain? Is that protected too?"

"No the brain is fairly similar to a human's and a good headshot will drop them just as effectively as it would for one of us. There are no shutoff valves in there." Butters said.

Well that was something at least though headshots in the middle of a battle are mostly a combination of luck and Hollywood special effects. Except for really dangerous assassins like Kinkaid no one had time in combat to line up that type of shot too often. "Anything else useful you have found?" I asked. "Any chance the whole race will get taken down by the common cold or hell even a really nasty foot fungus?" Hey I loved watching that original H. G. Wells movie with my dad.

"Sorry to say no. I checked into that and their physiology is so different from ours that I doubt they even notice bacteria or viruses." He replied. Ah well so much for hoping for a bad cold and flu season this winter. Butters closed the black folder having shared all the major highlights and not having anything more to provide. Well, there is always hoping for something from the history side of the story I guess.

"Bob, do you have anything else useful about the Fomor or their history?" I asked. "How much of their mythology can you attest to?"

"Do you mean an absolute fact?" Bob asked and I nodded in response. "Not much Molly I am sorry. What I have are five to ten thousand years of word of primarily mouth distributed stories and almost all of them come from the Irish settlers who had this terrible habit of sitting around fires drinking alcohol and making up outrageous stories for no apparent reason."

"Okay but surely the Fae or other magical beings have stories about the Fomor and these are verifiable sources, right?" I asked.

"Some…" Bob seemed hesitant. "But with being like the Fae there is a whole natural bias to their accounts as well, where they see all things Faerie are naturally superior and everything else is of questionable intelligence and basically beneath the notice of such superior beings. For example there are whole chapters of Fae stories that say humans evolved from worms and still have the ability to eat dirt to tunnel through the ground which is why they make such great farmers."

Wow, not even sure where to begin with a story like that. "Okay, lay out your best guess on what you think is true." I said. "I will not hold you to any of these facts."

"Alright since you asked…" He said pulling the data together for me like a magical Google search.

"The Fomor, also called the Fomoire or Fomorians, are one of those starter races like the Titans in Greek mythology or the Jotens from old Norse stories." Bob began sounding much like Harry in tone. "The Fomor stories are predominantly geographically centered around Ireland and describe these creatures as the original inhabitants of the island nation who were alternately throughout time either driven into the sea from the land, or a race that came up from the sea and populated the island. Obviously they can live in both environments equally well for sustained period of time."

"When the first human ancestors arrived on Ireland the Fomor were already there and after some period of time of peaceful coexistence as they were wont to do everywhere else in the world the humans drove off the Fomor and conquered the island for themselves." He continued.

"That is good to know that they can be beaten by humans if motivated even if they only have spears and blades." I replied.

"Yeah, well immediately after celebrating their great victory over their rivals that group of humans was completely wiped out to the man by a plague and the Fomor eventually emerged back from the sea and took control of the island again once again. That great moment for humankind was fairly short lived." Bob said deflating my balloon of hope for a long-term easy victory. It also raised a new concern for me.

"Wait Bob, could the Fomor have created the plague that wiped out their enemies?" I asked not particularly liking that concept as I pictured a similar effect used against Chicago or any major metropolis.

"There is nothing in the myths that specifically explain that the Fomor were behind the plague but it does seem rather convenient when you ask it that way I think." He replied. "We know they have wizards that deal in some pretty nasty stuff and pestilence magic can be pretty nasty once released. So sure it makes perfect sense to retreat into the sea where the humans can't touch you and release a land-based plague to do your dirty work. Then you just wait a few years for the pestilence to run its course and kill off your enemies then reemerge and take over the island again. You wait long enough and all you have to deal with are bones. Yeah that is probably something I might do. Of course they did not have air travel back then so a plague like that today would probably ravage across the whole world…"

"Sort of like the Denarians tried to do?" I asked remembering a plot Harry had only just stopped because a Knight of the Cross named Shiro Yoshima sacrificed himself in Harry's place.

"Very much just like that." I knew from his tones that Bob would have nodded if he could. "If fact from what I can piece together it is likely that the Fomor and the Denarians have been working together occasionally over the centuries. Some of the creatures and hybrids the Denarians have used as bodies show strong indications of Fomor-like sculpting magic."

"Alright we can worry about that possibility later." I said not wanting to think about it and instead stay focused on the history aspects. "What happened next?"

"Well somewhere about thirty years later the next group of humans arrived on Ireland and found the Fomor there again." Bob picked up the story. "By this point the Fomor are now being described as just sailors and seafarers. Likely they adjusted their forms to mimic humans after their first encounters as most magical beings tend to do. Though there is one interesting reference that says the Fomor claim they are the descendants of Noah's son Ham and therefore have some sort of Biblical rights."

"Noah?" I asked. "As in the build me an Ark Noah?"

"Yep that is the one." Bob confirmed. "I would not put too much creed in that. It is likely just the type of story you create to use a people's gods against them. Sort of like Cortez in Mexico. It sort of also goes against the story of Gilgamesh that came out of Babylon…"

"Stay on the Fomor Bob." I said knowing he liked to share his vast level of knowledge.

"Yeah, I am sorry about that." He said. "Anyway once again before too long the two groups are at war. The humans beat back the Fomor and killed their two most powerful kings, who we can safely assume were probably wizards, but the Fomor fought back and eventually enslaved the humans under two new kings demanding two-thirds of their grain, cattle, and children in tribute every year."

"Well their aims don't seem to change much. We have seen evidence of them wanting slaves and children." I said in agreement. "Obviously something happened and they lost their power?"

"Yeah well after a period of time the human rose up in revolt and killed one of the two new kings. The other, however, called upon some sort of horrible magic and pulled another end of the world event on this group too. They made the seas rise and swamp the entire island and thereby killed off all but thirty or so of the humans who luckily all escaped in a single boat that scattered them around the world." He finished that chapter.

"Wait the Fomor may have also been the basis for the Atlantis stories?" I asked since that was oddly similar to Homer's story of the destruction of an island leaving only a few survivors.

"Like I said it is possible." Bob replied. "For another thousand years or so the pattern came again with humans encountering Fomor and having to provide tributes that included slaves and then being defeated by humans until finally the Irish stories stop talking about the Fomor completely when they more or less just stopped appearing in Ireland or anywhere else." Bob paused at this point waiting for me to ask more questions rather than overwhelm me with more trivia. I figure I had all the key points or he would have called out more.

"What do the myths say about their magic or wizards beyond the plagues and sinking islands abilities?" I asked as this was pretty important to me. "Do they favor certain types of magic over others? More importantly are they susceptible to anything?"

"Not much is said about their magic I am afraid except that they have it." He said. "Obviously they must have pretty powerful wizards as demonstrated by the Atlantis-type event. The Faerie seemed to suggest the Fomor leaders are always a pair or more of wizards that share power over their race and that some are even quite talented according to Faeries, though not up to Fae standards of course."

"Supposedly these small numbers of rulers, anywhere from a pair to perhaps a score, work well together and do not seem to try and destroy each other as other races like the Titans are wont to do." Damn another hope off the list.

"Directly below the rulers are lesser powered wizards that work as lieutenant administrators and make up the mid-level of Fomor society. There are maybe a few dozen at this level is we apply standard ruler principles. Below them are the much more numerous Fomor grunt workers that we have encountered that do not have magic abilities but are generally tough and cunning all the same." Well so much for their society.

We knew they had wizards because Murphy had killed one with three really precise bullets to the head. She had been told by Gard that this was one of their minor wizards, making it a mid-level only. Talented Fomor wizards meant I could have a real problem facing any magic they might send my way. Hell the mid-levels would likely be a significant challenge. That of course led me to the next important question.

"Bob, Marcone had a spy that is now laying in here somewhere, but before he died he told his boss that the Fomor were calling in outside help to deal with the resistance." I related. "Any idea what type of help they could be contracting out for?"

"No Molly." Bob said. "None of the histories talk about them working with others though like I said they probably have some sort of agreement with the Denarians. That is not to say that other alliances are not possible of course. While the Fomor were good at making human enemies and losing wars, they have been around for a long, long time so there is also a chance they have made some other powerful allies along the way, or at least have beings that owe them a favor or two. Based on their preferences I'd think it might be another water-based race but of course that is pure speculation; something perhaps like the Moi from Easter Island. From the spy's perspective it is just as possible they are merely calling in one of their more powerful wizards to deal with us and that is what the spy overheard. That would fit their historic patterns."

Okay, option one was a powerful Fomor wizard. That was bad, but they could, and indeed had, been killed if the stories or myths from Ireland were to be believed.

Option two, they called in one or more of the Denarians. On a scale of one to ten in badness I rate that about a nine as far as I was concerned, perhaps nine and a half if it was one of the really evil ones that lead the group. Option two would mean I would need a lot of help probably from the last remaining Knight of the Cross Sanya.

Option three was some other powerful being that owed the Fomor a favor. That would have to be a pretty bad situation as well since they would call upon something strong to get us out of the way. But without a hint of what the something was I had no way to plan for how to deal with it. I only wished the spy had gotten a little better information out to Marcone before he ended up on the wrong side of a vampire.

While I was thinking about that subject I might as well cross another item off my 'to do' list. "Hey Butters, Marcone said you did an autopsy on his agent and that you suspected he was the victim of a vampire attack?" I asked wanting data right from the source. "Are you sure of that or was this just speculation on your part?"

"Well that is not what the official report says of course." He replied. "Officially he died of heart failure." Which I knew meant for some unknown reason his heart had just stopped working. The MEs could not determine a medical reason why the heart had stopped but the fact that it had resulted in the victim's death.

"But you suspect a White Court vampire?" I asked putting forward what Marcone had said.

"Yeah that seems the most likely." Butters said. "The corpse in question had the life, not the blood but the life, sucked out of him. According to Bob that is not Black or Red Court work though there are other types of creatures out there, some types of undead he figures, that can do this as well, though they usually leave bruises or burn marks on the skin." I once heard Harry explain that Thomas had done this very thing to his lover Justine and just barely pulled back before killing her.

"So then how certain are you it was a White Court?" I asked knowing that this could cause a huge problem for our coalition if it were true.

"Say seventy-five percent." Butters agreed hedging his bets. "That your thoughts Bob?"

"Knowing that they have such a heavy presence in Chicago I'd say you could safely go a little higher than that even." He replied.

"Unless someone is just trying to make it look like a White Court to turn us all against each other or at least put the two biggest factions of our coalition at odds with each other." I said considering the possibilities.

"Sure it could Molly but think that through." Bob agreed. "Whoever did it still has to have the power to simulate a White Court attack so you are still back to either it was a White Court vampire or it was something very similar and the motivation for either is unknown." Bob explained and while I liked my conspiracy as it allowed me to hope the alliance was not going to unravel, he was right. The motive was the most important piece but one we were unlikely to learn. All signs still pointed to it being a White Court vampire. Damn it! Sooner or later I'd just like some good news for a change.

"Molly your pizzas are here." Crystal's voice came over the intercom.

"Pizzas?" Butters asked confused.

"Yeah, Marcone is not the only one with spies." I said leaving him and Bob and go deal with hopefully my last major issue of the evening.

Watching a host of faeries eat pizza is almost as bad as being an observer in a butcher shop. The major difference is that somehow there was no potential for loss of limbs for anyone involved even though there were thirty or more, it was hard to get an accurate count with all the flapping going on, ravaging the dozen pizzas. I was lucky to scarf two pieces for myself before they descended on the boxes like a swarm of locusts out of a biblical story.

Each of them had some sort of sharp implement as a weapon, from box cutters to Exacto knives with which they would swoop in, slice away a chunk of pizza, and then swoop away to dine before repeating the process over and over. Eventually there was only tomato sauce stained cardboard left behind and a grassy field full of bloated fairies all rubbing their bellies with looks of complete contentment upon their faces.

"Alright General Toot, I have paid the monthly rations so I want your forces to handle a couple of tasks for me." I said looking at the largest of the fairies who also had the most swollen belly.

"Ummm… huh?' He said as his eyes were not quite focused and still in post-pizza haze.

"Toot." I clapped. Clapping is one of those noises that quickly gets a fairy's attention I found out due to too many close calls with children trying to catch them.

His eyes cleared up though he did not take to the air. "Oh hi Molly." He said. "When did you get here?"

"I brought the pizza, remember?"

"You brought us pizza? Where is it?" He said excitedly and about half the fairies perked up at this news though for the life of me I could not figure out where they planned to put any more of it.

"No, the ones you just ate." I said.

"Oh yeah." He burped and smiled and then patted his belly. "Those were really good by the way."

"Yeah, but now we have to talk about your side of the bargain." I said in a firm voice.

"I do not remember making a bargain."

"Let me refresh your memory." I said thankful that my illusions had sound. I put together a quick magical picture from about five minutes ago and let it replay like a YouTube video for the fairies.

"Hey Toot how would you like to exchange these pizzas for…" I said as he and his army of fairies came swarming in.

"You name it Molly!" He smiled in glee. "PIZZA!" And then the feasting began like sharks in a feeding frenzy.

"Oh yeah not I remember that." He said a little sheepishly. "You know I it is not really fair using pizza against us."

"I'm sure it's not." I said laughing as I looked at the cardboard carnage laid out before me. "Thankfully I am not going to ask anything too difficult of you, just a bit of reconnaissance and some spying."

"Okay, what do you need?" He said resigned to the fact that they had to pay up.

"I need three things actually." I said raising my fingers and preparing to count them off.

"First, I want your army to scout out all the ways of entering the undercity from Chicago, especially through the sewers." I flipped a Chicago street map I had carried in the glove compartment of my car along with a few Sharpie markers I kept as well. "Mark the access points and if you can identify which ones the Fomor may be using put that down too. Do not go scouting for them, we are not planning to attack, at least not yet. I just want to try and get an idea of where they operate from so we can position our forces better."

"Not a problem." Toot said unfolding just two folds of the map and then not being able to fold it back together. Yeah, this was so not going to be a problem – heavy on the sarcasm. I took the map away before he ripped it on his box cutter, unfolded it completely, and then rolled it up instead and handed it back. "Okay, we got it boss. What else do you need?"

"Second, we were told that something big and powerful may have come to Chicago in the past forty-eight hours." I said with my second finger. "I want you to sniff around a bit and see if you catch a whiff of anything that fits this description."

He nodded thoughtfully but I knew thinking was not one of this brand of fairies' most defining traits so I made sure to clarify. "Again, I do not want your folks getting too close or being seen. If you think you found something come back and record it on the map and we can go take a look together." I said trying not to make him think I did not trust him or give off the opinion that I was trying to keep them away from harm or discovery; both of which were actually true of course.

"Got it, find the big bad guys." He said nodding again.

"Okay and last I want you to put a spy on a couple of people for me." I said and then gave him a short list of names. His eyes grew wide as I went down my list and I could tell he was not happy with this assignment.

"Um, I am not sure we will be able to get too close to a couple of these." He said shifting from one foot to the other but avoiding my eyes. "In fact there is some history between us with…"

"I know Toot." I said trying to make him calm. "Again I do not want your people getting into trouble. If the best they can do is merely keep tabs of where these people are at any moment that is fine. If they can get closer to their targets and overhear any conversations taking place that would be even better. But either way their first job is to not get caught spying. If they catch wind of you then they will know I am the one having you spy on them and I'd prefer to avoid that as much as you do." I said not thrilled with this part of the plan but not really having any choice.

"I will put my best faeries on it." He said trying to comfort me and failing miserably.

But still he was taking the chance and that was worth something. "Hey, I know it is dangerous, so no matter how successful you are with these missions I will pay your folks another dozen pizzas two weeks from today for doing this for me." I offered.

He looked up at me with a twinkle in his eyes. "Is there any chance I could get an advance on that payment?" He asked.

"Nope, no chance at all." I said deflating his current addiction for more pizza.

"Alright Molly, you have yourself a deal." He said and then rounded up his forces to give out assignments. Meanwhile I said my goodbyes, collected the pizza boxes. and then carried them back around to the parking lot in the front of the building where I knew there was a dumpster waiting not far from where my car was parked.

The hissing voice that came out of the darkness at me was my only real warning of danger. "I told King Corb that if we staked out this location sooner or later one of your kind would come here." The words were not so easy to understand, but my mind was suddenly filled with adrenaline so deciphering this was second nature.

I dropped the pizza boxes and spun to find myself facing four Fomor thugs and what had to be a Fomor wizard spaced out before me. "Um, my kind?" I asked letting my eyes dart from one to another and also judging that they were between me and getting to my car where my utility belt full of goodies and my wands that could somewhat balance the odds between us were currently sitting. "What do you mean by 'my kind?'" Great job Molly! I mentally kicked myself for leaving me vulnerable like this.

"A human gifted with magic." He hissed at me. "If you provide me with the location of the Rag Lady I will promise you your death with be quick." He said as two automatic weapons and two urchin pipes were pointed in my general direction. Worst of all is I could sense he had a fully charged spell ready for release in the forefront of his mind as well while I had no magic at the moment to cast.

Yeah, so much for this ending as a quiet night after all.


	4. Chapter 4

**Honor's Debt**

**_Sunday Night _**

**_Chapter 4_**

Facing off five against one is not the worst situation I ever faced; certainly not by a long shot. Mexico for example was one such location where the odds were more than ten thousand bloodthirsty vampires to nine wizards and allies. Therefore a mere five to one should be a walk in the park.

Add to that the fact that Lea's intense training régime had certainly helped me refine the combat aspects and capabilities of my magic, limited as they were compared to Harry's, into something at least respected by those who faced me. Better still I had gained vital experience in sizing up my opponents and the level of threat they posed which is something you really cannot learn in classroom lessons or reading old role-playing textbooks on monsters.

For example, I knew the gun wielders and urchin shooters were always worth considering and respecting but I had faced such things before and neither was new. The Fomor wizard, however, was therefore the most important of my foes at the moment because when dealing with wizards one was never sure exactly what they might be capable of. Because he was the most dangerous in my eyes that made him the one I had to get rid of first. And of course the only real option for facing magic is tossing about some magic of your own.

I tensed slightly as I opened myself up to draw in magic, this skill now nothing more that a second nature reflex to me. Meanwhile the Fomor wizard released his spell he had been holding, obviously sensing what I was up to and trying to prevent it.

Thankfully the spell was not what I had feared; primarily wind, fire, ice, or any one of the elemental combat forms Harry was so good at that caused so much destruction. Instead it was something I had never faced before in my short career; Lea called it entropy magic.

Because the wizard had been expecting and watching for my action the spell struck me before I could offer up any defense with the little magic I had successfully gathered at that point and upon surrounding me its effects began immediately.

How can I describe what this was like? Picture you are drinking from a garden hose and suddenly someone steps on it or kinks the hose cutting off the water supply. Instead of water, of course, the Fomor wizard had cut off the flow of magic coming to me, much the same as if he had trapped me in a magic protective circle but without drawing out the chalk lines required for that particular ritual.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, entropy is the tendency for all matter and energy in the universe to evolve toward a state of inert uniformity. The key words here being energy and inert.

"Uh oh!" I could not stop myself from saying aloud as I felt the magic hose kink. "This is so totally unfair!" I continued speaking as my eyes glanced everywhere looking for a means of escape or an immediate way to break this spell. I potentially had such things of course in my utility belt; which presently was sitting in the trunk of my car thirty feet or more away. At present I was not thinking the Fomor were going to give me the time to waltz over there and gather my gear without a contest so that material was currently as useful to me as if I had left it at home.

"Your kind is still so predictable after the millennia we have watched you." The wizard spoke in its hissing type voice as his concentration stayed focused upon maintaining the spell around me. Okay, he had to concentrate his will to keep it working, that was something that offered a slight glimmer of hope if I could break it.

"I only hope when we find her the Rag Lady offers more of a challenge and worthy battle than you did." He said in a dismissive tone that really just pissed me off inside which was never a good thing to do. I did also notice through my natural inclinations to sense emotions, especially strong emotions like lust, anger, and fear, that the mention of the Rag Lady's name made the others a little tense at least and that made me happy to know my efforts protecting Chicago have not been in vain.

"Well don't just stand there waiting to sign autographs, do something Molly!" A voice spoke in my head.

To be fair I call this voice Margaret Dresden after Harry's mom because that is who she says she is, or was at one time. I happened to gather a piece of her soul as I am the only person to have soul gazed both of Margaret's children; Harry and his brother Thomas. According to Margaret she had left a part of herself behind for someone like me to be a guide and help for her boys in their times of need. In this way Margaret was a somewhat comforting aspect of what would otherwise be disturbing.

On the other hand a small part of me also understood I could be completely making this up and that in truth I was nuts. To be fair that was certainly just as equal a possibility if not greater when you consider that Lea had to reassemble my psyche from a series of shards that I had torn it into doing what Harry had asked of me. Like trying to assemble a shattered vase, I could tell that there were still small fragments and shards missing from the seams in my mind, and Margaret's voice seemed to resonate from those areas when she spoke to me.

But hey, even if I was crazy I was still the magical defended of Chicago so that left me asking the question I had dozens of times in the past few months. "What would Harry do?"

"Probably not get into this situation!" Margaret's voice replied inside my head in a somewhat snarky tone.

"Are we talking about the same Harry Dresden?" I asked.

"Touché." She replied. "Of course he was not really bright enough to understand and avoid these. I expect better from you Molly since we are so similar."

"Thanks." I replied sourly and tried to picture Harry standing where I was and what he would do. Hell at a minimum I knew he would have a witty comeback or at least a really bad movie line to toss back at his opponents before he died. Yep, that was as good an idea as anything.

I released a good portion of the tension from my body, staying alert but trying to project that sense of cool, calm demeanor that I had witnessed Harry do so many times. If I had magic I would have enhanced this projection in the minds of the Fomor but instead in this case I had to rely solely upon those drama skills I acquired as a one scene extra in a high school production of _Little Shop of Horrors_. Hey, before you mock me the play got great reviews even if I only had five minutes on stage!

"You know I was just doing some reading so I find your comment amusing. If my kind is so predictable and pathetic then how is it we have kicked your race's collective assess out of Ireland at least half a dozen times or so and on more than one occasion with nothing more than spears and swords?" I asked trying to add that little tone of innocent mockery that Harry did naturally so well. Even without relying upon my emotion reading skills their eyes and body postures displayed that my reference had struck a rather sensitive nerve. Well too damn bad for you! Go buy a puppy or some therapy classes.

"And as for your wish about the Rag Lady…" I said letting my eyes flicker quickly to a spot slightly above and behind them. "Why don't you turn around and ask her yourself since she was onto your little stakeout days ago." I laughed with a tone of mocking.

The 'look behind you' diversion is probably the oldest type trick in the book. I can literally see one caveman looking at another saying 'Look Gronk there is a dinosaur behind you' and then clobbering his opponent with a club the second Gronk's head was turned.

It is important to note that almost immediately females developed a refined version. This one was 'Oh my god it's my dad' which I am also sure almost always also caused young male cavemen to look behind them as well and therefore allowing the cave girls to escape or else clobber the young male with a convenient club – considered by some of the largest males who play caveman football the opening salvo of a traditional mating ritual.

Almost no one actually fell for the original gag anymore because everyone had been pulling it on each other for about a gajillion years; which by the way is about eight hours under the metric system I think. However, because no one fell for it people generally stopped using it in these situations. It should be noted that 'Oh God it's my father' still works perfectly well in modern times and succeeds most often at high schools.

So the fact I was showing calm, even though the wizard was certain I had been rendered magically sterile, projected that I was confident about something when I should not have been. And since that something could not therefore be me, even though 'look behind you' was the oldest distraction in the world, all five of the Fomors' heads still turned as I spoke the words.

I did not wait around for them to understand they had fallen for it and instead immediately took off from standing to running in an instant keeping a look over my shoulder as I tried to increase the distance between us. The wizard's head snapped back first after noting no Rag Lady enemy only to see me fleeing and yelled the traditional order I had heard in various forms far too often as of late. "Kill her!"

Immediately the sounds of gunfire erupted as I zigged and zagged to prevent a clear and easy shot. The first line of automatic bullets erected a lethal fence between me and my car, and then the second joined in this line as well. The Fomor may have learned to shoot modern weapons but this pair at least was still perfecting the skills required for leading their target.

Fortunately I also surmised in time that they had lots of experience where their more traditional blowpipe urchin wands were concerned. I heard their distinctive whistle as the pair of projectiles came my way and reacted just as I had been trained to. I called upon my magical shield bracelet that Harry had made for me when I began as his apprentice and I have kept charged and on my left wrist ever since.

Thankfully my shield bracelet did not require my to infuse it with magic, since I did not have any, but instead merely required the spells of magic I had already trapped within to be released. This effectively went around the entropy effects of spell the wizard still held me under and therefore saved me from some pretty painful wounds as the two urchins slammed into the shield instead of into my back with their distinctive wet plopping sound. Yep, this pair obviously had skills where flying urchins were concerned.

The bullet fire was closing from my left and still enough of a concern that I turned away from my car and toward the only other potential shelter available, the giant green metal dumpster. I made it behind just in time to hear the distinctive drum roll of two wild lines of bullets slamming into the steel front and then go ricocheting off to who knows where. That was not my problem at the moment as I took an instant to assess my situation. I needed a plan and since I could not still draw upon magic all my escape efforts had provided beyond temporarily saving my skin was to teach me the wizard did not need to maintain a line of sight on me to keep his spell working.

The bullets rattled to a stop and I head the distinctive mechanical sounds made as the Fomor began to reload. Meanwhile the wizard called out his next command. "Toss that barrier out of the way!" I figured that order was given to the urchin wielders who were incredibly strong and only required one hand for their weapons. From my previous encounters I estimated that even keeping their hands on the wands they would have no trouble throwing a dumpster though they might need two because of its bulky size. Either way in a couple of seconds I would again have no protection available except my shield bracelet which was not strong enough to stop multiple automatic weapons at once. Come on Molly think!

As I suspected the two urchin wielders grabbed the sides of the dumpster with both hands and after a weird click that probably translated in Fomor to the equivalent of 'now,' launched the metal container ten feet up and thirty feet further away from the battle. I wish I could have seen the looks on their faces, especially the wizard's, when the container was tossed aside and there was no cute and perky wizard found huddling behind it.

Being a wizard of course I suspect his surprise immediately turned to suspecting magic, and the most common situation reason when a wizard is not where they should by all right be means he or she cast a veil. I felt the inherent confidence he had in his magic superiority to me weaken. In fact it weakened so much that his spell surrounding me almost failed and fell away; almost, but unfortunately not completely. I think it was the fact that he could sense his spell was still in effect on me that gave him the confidence to reinforce his will to keep it going, which I can tell you in all honest sucked as far as I was concerned at that moment.

For the record no, your favorite cute and perky wizard had not pulled together enough magic to call up one of those veils she is so famous for or found a way to convert the magic held in her shield bracelet to function in other ways to break free of his spell. In fact at the present moment, now with an extra instant to think more, that seems like a much better plan than what I had decided to implement.

While the Fomor were each thinking 'Hey where did she go' I was gracefully flying through the air on an uncontrolled ballistic missile path as I clung to the side of the metal dumpster. Like I just said I really wish I had that extra moment to devise a means to see if I could re-channel my shield bracelet magic to another purpose instead of what I did choose out of necessity. This became an even greater regret as we, the friendly dumpster and I, reached the apex of our journey and began our joint descent toward the pavement together. It was now notably also beginning a slow rotation to put me underneath the large green trash receptacle when we landed. I had watched enough coyote and roadrunner cartoons to understand that this was not an enviable situation even with five Fomor hunting for me so I did the only thing that instinct allowed for; I pushed off and tried to do a summersault in midair to avoid the dumpster's crash and hopefully land on my feet ready to run.

I think I have mentioned I have never been a gymnast right? I was also never part of the high school dive team. In fact I had zero in the way of experience for this type of maneuver. This is why you should be completely surprised to note that I landed perfectly on my feet and then took off running for my car. You should be surprised because that was totally impossible. What really happened is that I crashed and rolled on the pavement trying not to kill myself, tearing up my tracksuit, which had no useful padding I learned the hard way, and not feeling particularly happy with the road rash inflicted upon me for the second time this evening.

Ouch!

Of course it took the Fomor all of a second to locate me after the crash as I eventually landed on my right side facing them, though with my hair strewn across my face partially obstructing my view. I also had most of the breath knocked out of me but I figured I could try and breathe extra later if I lived long enough.

"Kill her." The wizard called again and the two automatic weapon wielders in front of him started turning their guns in my direction once more. Man for a wizard this guy really needs to work on his dialogue skills. This is the second time he said 'kill me' and neither came with the traditionally long, time-buying soliloquy for me to take advantage of. I might have to report him to the evil overlord society for this flagrant breach of evil protocol.

The first gun lined up almost on me and I could sense the tension in the Fomor agent holding it as he began to squeeze the trigger. I fired off another shield spell, this time placing it just inside the barrel of the rifle as I had learned years before was darn effective tactic on handguns. Well let me tell you that it works even better on automatic weapons.

The first round flew through the barrel and was suddenly stopped by the shield blocking its exit so the force pushing it had to go somewhere. Much reflected backwards as this was the easiest path available however the next round coming down the chamber behind it caused this force to compact upon itself like a train hitting a wall and the cars going in all directions, only in this case the cars were contained in a tunnel. A third round following behind exponentially increased this same situation.

The gun transformed itself from structured metal and composite into shrapnel, much still propelled by the forces at play blowing backward at the gun wielder and tearing through his body. The two others near him were likewise struck and flung aside by the forces at play and certainly took some small levels of damage themselves. I suspected all in all it was not much considering the ability of the Fomor to shake off wounds, except maybe to the one holding the gun, but it still bought me a few precious seconds as confusion reigned on the battlefield.

Unfortunately the wizard though knocked down did not lose his concentration on the spell he had me trapped in and I still had no access to the magic in the world around me. I was starting to wonder what it would take to rattle him enough to do so. Still I found my feet in those invaluable seconds. I was somewhat shaky of course but ignored the pain my body was registering at the moment, and began to stumble toward my car now only a dozen paces or so away from where I had rolled to a stop while keeping my eyes darting over my shoulders from foe to foe to track their activities.

The urchin pair were obviously shocked by the exploding gun, but they only let that stall them for a moment, which was about two of my steps worth, before they both drew their pipes in unison and fired a pair of projectiles my way once again. I tossed up another shield, realizing I was burning through these fast, and the urchins splattered against the invisible barrier like a bug on a windshield; I mean disgustingly very similar to a bug on a windshield. But that protection bought me another four steps toward my destination.

The second gun wielder was up a moment later swinging his weapon my way and I fired off another quick shield spell into his barrel as well giving me three more steps, halving the remaining distance to my car once more. I waited for the rocking blow back.

"Do not fire she has set it to explode like the other!" The wizard ordered and although the gun was now almost completely aligned with me, the Fomor carrying it checked his fire as he had been ordered to. Say what you will about their evil intentions, their loyalty and reflex times were impressive.

Damn, was hoping to cause another one at least temporarily disabling injuries but I consoled myself with the fact that at least he is not firing my way. Speaking of firing I tossed another of my nearly depleted shields up again just in time to hear the twin splats of two more urchins as I reached my trunk and popped it open. My hand reached inside blindly for my belt of goodies hoping to even the odds a bit as I looked at the remaining enemies.

A flicker of movement at the last second was my warning and I pushed backwards off the trunk and purposely fell on my backside as the second gun wielder's form flew through the space I had just been occupying and slammed his body into the open trunk and fender of my car denting both and undoubtedly injuring himself. Then he started to fall backwards on top of me so I scrambled out of the way, piecing together in my mind that he had leapt much of that distance toward me while I had been split between thinking about my car and the flying urchins headed my way.

"Come on Molly, remember they are much faster than you." Margaret's voice reminded me.

"Thanks for the newsflash."

Gunman two was woozy from having his body impacted into the car and not having mine to soften the blow as he had intended, but the Fomor were tough and even this blow only shook him up a bit, basically making him sway but not actually fall. I figured I could help with that as I thought of Karen's training and instinctually kicked out with my closer leg connecting with his just above the kneecap and bending that joint ninety degrees in a direction it had not been designed to bend in.

The creature screamed in that almost too high pitch to hear voice and fell once more toward me as I rolled out of the way again, especially of those grasping arms reaching for me. This was in fact additionally fortunately as his body also fell in direct line with the next two urchins that smacked into him with a similar wet thud that they had hit my shield but a much more damaging impact to his flesh as the acidic poison began to spew. I did not have time to cheer for this turn of events because I was instead wondering how many of those dam things those wands were able to fire. By this point I had rolled and crawled around to the driver's side of my car putting its Detroit steel body between me and more flying urchins and allowing me an additional second to breathe as gunman two screamed in high-pitched pain.

Okay, quick status check. I am trapped under an entropy spell cast by a Fomor wizard older than dirt. Two more Fomor are trying to make me the game target for the underwater equivalent of bar darts. The last two gun wielders are both down and wounded, but with their healing ability probably not out of the fight for more than a minute or two, which while it may seem long in combat, is really way too short to count on. My trunk three feet away has some useful gadgets but I can't get near it without putting myself in arms reach of one of the wounded ones. Last, though I am near the driver's side and could try to drive off, the car is a convertible so does not offer anything remotely resembling protection above the waist level.

Summation: I'm totally screwed at the moment.

The Fomor by the trunk had stopped wailing by this time, like Butter's said they seemed pretty good at cutting off blood flow so I suspect they could do the same for nerve endings and reduce pain as well. I first hoped he had died or passed out but he quickly proved me wrong. Instead of having the good sense of fair play to die he seemed to be clacking in that weird language of theirs, probably telling his friends where the cute wizard was hiding. From the sounds of two pairs of hard soled shoes running toward me I am fairly sure this is exactly what was going on.

"Okay Molly, now what do you do?" I asked myself and not getting any answers, not even from Margaret. So much for helpful insight.

The two wand holders came around the car at the same time, one though in the front and the other around the back which is more or less what I had expected from the echoes of their footfalls. I still had no magic and the second I took to try and pull magic in my shield bracelet into myself to use for something else it failed completely costing me another of the very few remaining charges in the bracelet. Damn they had me beat, and there was really nowhere left for me to run, not that I was in tip top shape for that anyway.

So I attacked.

I am no Karrin Murphy, but she had spent some time showing me some things with Aikido that I was hoping now would prove useful. The wounded one by the trunk was starting to rise to his feet again so with consideration of his new arrival that meant the front of the car offered my best odds and opportunity. As this Fodor came around I leapt up to my feet and then sprang up to jump towards the hood of my car.

The Fomor's wand was pointed down to where he had expected me to stay and had not tracked my movements; however he recognized an attempt to escape again and sent his other arm trying to catch me or cut me off before I escaped once more out of arm's reach again. He was not prepared for the idea that I was not actually planning to escape.

My shoes, primarily my left that took most of my weigh, came down on the edge where the driver's side fender went from horizontal to vertical in form and then my body's momentum bent that same knee inward like loading a spring. The Fodor's arm came sweeping in over the hood to cut me off but instead I leapt up and a bit back, turning my hips slightly in air the way Murphy had shown me to throw a roundhouse kick. I may not have had the perfect form that Karrin could have done, but I had bigger hips and also had a good thirty pounds more to work with behind my blow than she did.

The top of my foot struck the Fomor's unprotected jaw sending an alert up my leg to inform me I had just kicked the equivalent of solid stone and that it hurt! Of course it the blow hurt him even more as the force of my entire body focused through my foot to the creature's jaw creating in its wake the distinctive cracking sound of breaking bone and a split second of image in my eyes of his lower jaw moved thirty to forty-five degrees out of alignment with the rest of the creature's face. Yeah, Karrin should award me my orange belt for this result alone. I wonder if this Fomor would provide a reference letter?

He only went down to one knee, damn these things were tough, while I landed back on the tarmac but thankfully behind him. This luckily kept his partner from firing his wand in my direction as number two hesitated with no clear shot for his urchin.

I did not delay to give him additional time to take better aim, instead I launched a quick instinctual second front kick to the back of the kneeling Fomor's head in order to face plant him on the pavement and then turned and ran off again in a weaving pattern toward the remains of the dumpster that offered the only feasible protection. I figured sooner or later the wizard's entropy spell had to fail because otherwise my luck was going to run out.

It did!

The last of the pair of Fomor urchin shooters came after me and did so by means of a couple of frog-like leaps that closed the distance between us before I could easily react. I guess for a race that spent a good portion of its existence moving though deep water, air really offered little in the way of resistance which accounted for their unearthly speed. Accordingly, the best I could do was try to sidestep at the last moment which only took me far enough away to prevent being tackled head on. Instead the Fomor's outstretched arm still struck me right behind the knees and so sent me tumbling to the pavement to crash and burn one more time.

I spun around and lashed out with a blind kick again hoping to find a knee but only struck a glancing blow to the meaty part of his upper thigh and therefore causing him no obvious discomfort. He did take this opportunity to show how fast his reflexes truly were by allowing his hand to strike like a snake and clamp down over my ankle before I could retract my kick.

He yanked me up from the ground by my leg, can you say ouch, as his other hand drew forth one of those wicked, backward curving skinning knives that his kind seemed to favor. As I was dangling upside down and struggling as best I could, which he easily ignored, I realized there was not much I was capable of accomplishing in this position. I pictured looking like a giant fish about to be gutted, which is not far off from what was about to happen.

"Wait!" The wizard called out as the knife started to descend toward my stomach. Thankfully their reflexes with a knife were just as quick and responsive as those with a gun and the Fomor checked his attacked before I added any new scars or misplaced any vital organs.

"Deliver her to me." The wizard ordered again. I would have thought this meant 'carry her back here' but I guess the underwater postal service works off of catapults or some such thing because I found out 'deliver' meant the same to him as 'toss'. So once more I found myself cart wheeling through the air only to crash all legs and arms akimbo on the pavement right in front of the wizard who kept me under his magic denying spell.

Really tough and cool superheroes usually jump up at this point holding the knife they stole from the hand of their attacker and jamming it into the eye or throat of the evil mastermind. Unfortunately I was not much of a hero as I was torn, beaten, bloody, and had grown a real strong disrespect and dislike for pavement over the past four hours.

The best I could do was turn my head in his direction, noting in the process that the two wounded Fomor warriors by my car, were coming my way, the one with the urchin blasts to the back leaning on the one I had kicked in the jaw for support. The last one whose gun exploded looked much the worse for wear up close. I could not tell if he were dead or not, but that many shrapnel wounds had to be difficult to overcome.

The wizard reached down and yanked me to my feet by pulling me up by my hair. Damn that hurt but since my hair was somewhat long I used that opportunity, and the new pain that cleared my mind, to push my face up toward his and scream at the top of my lungs. I figured I had nothing to lose and if they were primarily sonar-based then perhaps all the noise would injure him, or at least shock him enough to drop the entropy spell.

All it did in actuality was annoy him enough to land a serious gut shot to my midsection which literally took the wind out of my sails and dropped me once more to the pavement, probably leaving more than a few strands of hair in his other fist based upon the burning sensation reported in from my scalp. I know there is a gaming myth out there that wizards of any race tend to be more feeble in strength than their warrior counterparts. Well in the case of the Fomor let me dissuade you from this false belief. The wizard's punch was as hard as any I had suffered from others of its kind.

"Stand her up and secure her." The wizard directed and before I could catch my breath or think of resisting further a rock solid hand, the very same that had grabbed my ankle a minute ago in fact, clamped onto the back of my neck and lifted me completely from the ground as I struggled feebly feeling the last of my strength beginning to ebb. What I would not give for one of the energy drink potions I had in the utility belt still in my car but tauntingly completely useless to me right now.

Before I could offer more resistance two other hands, from the two separate wounded Fomor locked onto each of my wrists and pulled my arms out and back, stretching my shoulders painfully as the one holding me lifted me high enough to take my feet even higher off the ground as well. I was glad for the sweatshirt because the current stretching would have probably popped every button on any blouse I owned leaving me in an even more exposed and vulnerable position.

"Let me guess, resistance is futile? Prepare to be assimilated?" I asked the wizard who was staring disdainfully at me. From his confusion I knew at once he was not a Star Trek fan. Probably explains why Harry was always using the Star Wars references with the magical beings.

"We will not join with you." The wizard said simply. "You have caused injuries that must be healed and for that we require food." He said looking at me with the same critical eye my mother had in the grocery store as she considered a pack of hamburger. I guess the old rallying cry that 'they can kill us but they cannot eat us' did not apply to the Fomor.

Both of those holding my arms out to the side now also pulled forth their own skinning knives to match the first one almost assuredly still out and pointed at my back. I had no real leverage to put much force behind it but I tried to kick my free floating legs backwards at the Fomor holding me by the neck, hoping to hit his knees or something but I missed and just got a violent shake for my troubles.

"You are pathetic." The wizard spoke with obvious disdain.

"Yeah I know." I said back. "One of yours down, two more wounded, and all without my magic and I am the pathetic one."

"You were merely unreasonably lucky." The wizard dismissed me.

"Yeah the way the Rag Lady has also been unreasonably lucky knocking all your plans askew."

"She and her allies' efforts have only had a trifling affect upon our plans." He said. "And now with the exposure and death of their spy they placed in our midst, not to mention the securing of one such of our own within your ranks, the Rag Lady's little war of defiance is about to come to a very nasty and bloody end."

Okay that was not good information on so many levels and made the need for me to escape this current situation all the greater. Of course meeting that particular need was still pretty much impossible.

"Ah so that would be the heavy-hitter you brought in from Asia?" I asked causing the wizard to pause and consider my words. I could sense his calculating mind at work, probably trying to determine if I knew more than I was saying and how much of their plans were in jeopardy.

"What exactly do you know of this heavy hitter?" He asked giving off a really confused vibe that I could not read.

"Why should I tell you anything?" I asked. "You are only going to kill me anyway so there is no reason not to take that information to my grave." I hoped I could convince him to deal.

"You will die." He confirmed rather coldly. "However, there are many slow and painful ways and others that are less so. You might think on that for a moment."

His eyes turned to the one holding my left arm and made some of that click clack noise of Fomor speak. The guard on this side, the one with the dislocated jaw, sheathed his dagger, which should have made me feel better but in truth did not. Instead he reached for a pouch on his side and withdrew what I recognized at once as a jellyfish stinger, unattached from its owner, but still kept rubbery and fresh by some odd sort of slime that covered the flesh. Without so much as a 'by your leave' he jammed the end of the stinger into the palm of my hand.

Son of a bitch that hurt! I am a city girl by nature and Lake Michigan is not well known for its jellyfish population so I had never encountered this particular pain before. Damn it hurt and I could not stop myself from screaming as the throbbing pain from the wound raced up my already screaming nerve endings to inform my brain that a new and unique discomfort had arrived.

To make matters worse the one holding my left arm lifted up the stinger and then popped it in his mouth to chew upon and then swallow it with a predatory smile. Great I was being tortured with the Fomor equivalent of an appetizer it seems. This of course made sense since they had already declared me to be the main course.

"So you were going to tell me what you know about this heavy hitter from Asia." The wizard said showing no signs of rushing for the information. In fact his emotions seemed to offer that he was enjoying this.

"The moment you tell them what they want to know they will kill you Molly." Margaret's voice cautioned me. "The longer you hold out the longer you will live." She explained through my pain.

"That is easy for you to say." I grunted in my pain-filled mind. "You are not the one out here suffering."

"I share your pain child just as I share your thoughts." She replied. "I really do. However, at the moment your choices are limited to either pain or oblivion so as one all too familiar with the latter I suggest pain."

"You know you sound just a little too much like Lea with comments like that." I spoke in my head.

"That is not surprising as I spent so much time as her apprentice just like you." That was a seriously disturbing thought as well.

He was waiting for my response and let his eyes glance over to the guy on my left again who took out another of his snack packs at this silent command. God I hate trying to be the superhero all the time. I also wish I had my magic for the appropriate mood music as I prepared my next act of absolutely foolish defiance. Harry would be so proud!

I looked back at the wizard's face. "Are you familiar with history?" I asked taking a deep breath as I prepared to do what I had to do.

"I lived what your kind refers to as history." He said with that same annoying tone of superiority that he had been tossing my way.

"Good." I said. "Because history shows again and again how nature points out the folly of men." I said adding a smile to my face as confusion crinkled his brow. Man I really wish I had my music spell. "Go Go Godzilla!" I said swinging my let forward to try and kick him, or catch him in a headlock with my legs or anything while praying to the gods of the Blue Oyster Cult than I would be successful.

Yeah, epic fail!

He swatted my legs aside without much effort and then nodded to the guy on the left to jab another jellyfish spine into my wrist this time and send me convulsing and screaming in pain once more. I swore off ever going to the ocean at that moment.

"Pathetic." He said shaking his head as my body convulsed and lost its ability to stand on its own.

After I got my breath back and lefty finished this second hors d' vour I looked back at the wizard. "So I take it not too many classic rock stations at the bottom of the ocean?" I tried to mock him further as pissing off your opponent sometimes works too. "Funny I'd have taken your kind for serious Beatles fans. You know. I'd like to be under the sea, in an octopus's garden… or maybe We all live in a yellow submarine? No? Nothing?"

The only response was yet another glance to my left and the now all too familiar electric pain of a jellyfish stinger jabbing into my lower arm this time where I had ripped my tracksuit. Cue the intense screaming and thrashing pain one more time.

"You are doing great child." Margaret's voice tried to comfort me through my haze of pain.

"Oh shut up!" Yeah the last thing I desired was a cheerleader at this moment.

By the time my pain lessened enough to focus once more I took a quick inventory and realized none of the three Fomor holding me had relaxed their grip in the slightest. In fact they may actually have even grown tighter in response to my thrashing around in pain. Likewise the spell to nullify my magic was still going strong as well. Say what you want about the Fomor but you could not deny their single-mindedness of purpose.

"Shall we continue?" The wizard asked with a cool sense of patience that told me lefty had more than enough rations left over to share.

"Do I get a vote?"

"Only for how much pain you are forced to endure before you tell me what I want to hear." The wizard replied.

"Well in that case no I will just take a pass and vote present." I said knowing I was literally drawing on the very last of my defiance. Margaret tried to strengthen my will but it was mostly drained away.

"So foolish..." The wizard said shaking his head before nodding again to the one holding my left arm. I closed my eyes and tried to brace for the pain of what was to come knowing it would probably break me all the same.

BOOM!

The sound made my eyes snap open just in time to catch the head of the Fomor on my left explode like a Gallagher watermelon. His grip released on my arm as his body began to crumple to the ground. My mind and senses registered the surprise in the other Fomor but I was singularly focused in reaching for the knife Lefty placed back in his sheath and getting my hand around it to allow his falling body to pull it free for me. I will say it was a close thing because the painful jellyfish wound on my palm made holding its slick handle nearly impossible. All the same I succeeded.

The attention of the other Fomor had been drawn away from me as a second BOOM erupted again. This time it was the one holding my right arm whose head suddenly converted to crab dip.

I was too busy to take much notice or look for my rescuer as I was taking this opportunity to swing the knife around and try and jam it into the throat of the wizard right in front of me. Unfortunately he sensed my movement and the associated threat at the last instant and leaned back from the blow, but unfortunately for him not quite far enough. Instead of stabbing him in the throat, the razor sharp blade sliced across his neck opening it up and folding the flesh back.

My swing was completely past him before the first sign of blood appeared but by the end of my swing the first drip was now a torrent that his grasping hands and internal shut off mechanisms could not stop. I felt his concentration on the magic spell he cast over me disappear in that first instant and then the comforting feel of magic in the air return to me once more like a cool breeze on a hot and sticky day.

"Molly get down!" A familiar voice ordered but the Fomor holding me off the ground had other ideas. I kicked backwards again, even higher this time, seeking not to connect with knees I could not see, but with the torso that was connected at the other end of the arm that was holding onto me. This worked better and my legs pushed him back enough to break the grip he had on my neck, though I did lose more than a little skin in the process. Of course once more gravity stepped in and dropped me to the pavement as I scrambled to ensure the knife was not between it and my flesh.

BOOM!

Another gunshot retort followed by the wet splattering sound of a head exploding. A second later the third Fomor's body tumbled to the ground right by my feet as well. I wanted to get up. I really did. But the number of times I had fallen to the pavement in the past five minutes had finally taken their toll and I merely groaned in pain and tried to gather some strength.

"Molly are you okay?" I recognized now that it was Crystal's voice that had told me to get out of the line of fire and now also was worried about my health. Considering her job was a security guard at the medical examiner's office it made sense that she was not only a good shot but that she would also eventually have seen what was going on in parking lot because of the perimeter surveillance system. In fact, I realized she probably should have gotten her a whole lot sooner!

"Yeah I'm alive at least thanks to your great shooting." Reminding myself that I said head shots were the stuff of Hollywood as I winced and rolled over onto my side to look up into her concerned eyes. "What took you so long?" I asked with a bit of a smile which was all I could manage to both offer her my thanks and let her know I would be okay.

"Well after you left with your pizzas I had a bit of hunger of my own." She smiled back making me groan. "You should consider yourself lucky that my margarine man was still tuckered out and that I agreed to give him a break or I would never have happened back up to the desk in time to see you playing hard to get with these fellows here." She said kicking the body of the last one she had put down.

"Well thank you then for your diligence as a public servant." I laughed and groaned all at once.

"Well I will just make sure my man pays me with a good time!" She said. "But it looks like first he will have to conserve that energy of his for bandaging you up a bit. You are looking a little bit worn girlfriend." She said with an overplayed hint of disappointment in her voice. I had to admit the thought of some pain killers and cool bandages sounded nice right about now. I hoped he even had whatever was required for the jellyfish stings.

But first things first. "Make sure they are all dead." I said knowing that Crystal would know I was talking about the Fomor.

"They look dead to me."

"Yeah but they heal really well." I replied. "Or at least that is what Mr. Butters told me. The shots to the head are pretty certain, so if you would take a similar precaution for the other two."

"Well if my buttery man said so then I am not going to argue." She said and two more gunshots soon followed. The fact that this did not even give her a moment of hesitation was a bit disturbing or her trust in me was more than I thought it was.

By this time I made it first to my knees and then wobbly to my feet, cradling my left arm that now hurt like the bejeezus. Crystal was looking from body to body with obvious concern on her face.

"I guess I need to call this in." She said obviously thinking of the paperwork and the complications it was about to cost her. Shooting incidents tend to be things not easily overlooked by the city officials as they had to be reported to the feds. Thankfully I knew just the man for handling this type of situation.

"Tell Butters to call Marcone's men to take care of the cleanup." I said noting that her eyes went a little wide at the mention of Gentleman John Marcone. Like I said he had a reputation and the fact that I had just informed her that dumpy little Butters not only knew the most notorious gangster in Chicago but also could call upon him for favors obviously peaked her interest more than a little.

"Okay, but first let's get you inside." She agreed.

I started stumbling toward the door with Crystal supporting me when I had a thought. "Crystal in the trunk of my car is a belt hanging with pouches and equipment. Can you bring that along?" I asked her knowing I was not going to make it to my car at anything more than a very slow walk. She nodded and had retrieved it before I had even made it halfway to the front doors that awaited me.

When she handed it to me I belted it on not wanting to be caught flatfooted again, wincing a bit at the pain that action caused, and then drew out one of the metal flask test tubes I kept my energy potions in. I popped off the wax seal and drank it down. Thankfully the magic went to work immediately and while it did not heal my wounds, it did provide me the energy to walk slightly more normal and upright.

"What was that?" Crystal asked noting how quickly my energy had been restored.

"A really powerful energy drink." I replied putting the empty away and then handing another one to her. "After Butters gets done bandaging me up and sends me on his way, pour this in his coffee and then hang on for the ride of your life." I said with a conspiratorial wink.

She took it from me with a bit of a confused look upon her face that changed into a completely wicked smile.

"Consider it a way of paying you back for saving my life." Stop the thought right there Molly. DO NOT visualize what happens once Butters drinks this and he and Crystal….

Ewwww!

Too late!


	5. Chapter 5

**Honor's Debt**

**Early Monday**

**Chapter 5**

By the time I was all bandaged and medicated up and actually able to move without feeling shooting pain in every joint, I knew I needed to take the rest of the night off at least to rest and recuperate before striking out on my own some more. Butters, ever a good friend, offered me the only foldout couch in one of the offices for a quick nap at least until his relief arrived but I declined the offer as not being good for anyone concerned.

The Fomor had already identified this place for observation once. I figured as soon as their monitoring and response team failed to return they probably would come sniffing around with a little heavier response so having anyone with magic skills around and still on the premises would only confirm their suspicions this was a place to remain. The good side of the fight is that I did not expend any magic except for shields so there would not be a lingering scent floating in the air as was common when Harry tossed spells around.

Besides my other reason to turn down Butter's offer was the vibe I was reading from Crystal which bespoke a current desire to test out that particular couch and with it the potion of energy I had given her. That was for me an even better reason than the Fomor not to stick around now that I could walk.

But where to go?

Being on the run meant that to stay safe I had to avoid locations where I others might expect me to frequent. My parents' house was a perfect example as it would be just the type of location my hunters would sit and wait for me to come on by, ummmm… sort of like the medical examiner's office I guess. Whoops.

The thought of them hiding in my old neighborhood as far as my parents were concerned did not particularly scare me in so much as there was no part of that area that I did not know well. So I could easily scout out anyone watching and waiting for me and possibly even put them down. It was the fact that the ensuing conflict could endanger my family or our neighbors that provided me all the reason enough to avoid the place though I knew from Daniel that this decision broke my parents' hearts, especially my father's.

Most of my downtime for resting was resigned to finding churches willing to accept me, homeless shelters, and cheap by the hour boarding houses to catch a nap and recover some strength. I was never the same location twice in a three month period and never the same part of the city during the same ten day period.

About once a week if I needed a shower I'd upgrade to a Motel Six, preferably one near a Goodwill Store and a Denny's to allow me to splurge on a feeling of cleanliness, followed by a heavy meal, and a relatively new change of clothes. I made sure to always burn the previous ones I had worn rather than turn them in to prevent anyone from tracking me from my blood that inevitably stained them.

Karrin of course had offered me her home, and when I said no to that to help set me up in a safe house if I wanted, but I knew the more time I spent in the same location the easier it would be for those tracking me to get my magical scent or for me to develop patterns and therefore lose my edge. For the same reason I turned down Father Forthill's similar offers though I was not above dropping his name at other churches as a final selling point for getting a few hours of needed rest. One had called me Molly one time so I knew he had put out the word to help, which made me loathe using these places too often or bringing problems with me.

I am equally sure the priests on duty would let him know I had been there the moment I left if not sooner and being the man he was he would probably offer to cover the costs of anything I had required. I tried not to think too much about this as not being able to thank my friends in person for what they did for me was absolutely the hardest part of my present life after I had accepted that Harry was gone.

Being as banged up as I was I wanted nothing more than to catch six to eight hours of rest and tried to get back to feeling more alive than the average zombie for once. Unfortunately the way this night had been developing I knew I had a more pressing engagement and that requirement dictated where I needed to go even if the thought of this ultimate destination made me tremble just a bit. But hey, it was not like I had to face this situation alone when I had the perfect companion in this case.

"Margaret?" I spoke in my head.

"Yes Molly?" She answered immediately.

"I take it you were monitoring everything that took place back at the medical examiner's office, or more importantly the battle in the parking lot?" I asked hoping I was not going insane.

"Well of course my dear." She said comfortingly. "And let me say that I think you handled yourself quite well considering the numerous advantages they had over you."

"Yeah actually I am fairly surprised that I'm not road kill." I said honestly knowing that the fact I was still alive with as few actual injuries of a serious nature was almost completely based upon pure luck and not any demonstrated wizard skills.

"I was thinking much the same dear." She said with a hint of humor. "Though to be fair I think you are vastly downplaying your quick thinking and physical fighting skills. Too many wizards rely solely upon their magic and not enough upon themselves or their imagination. The Fomor wizard obviously made that mistake tonight. This is probably why many in the White Council sense you as such a threat."

"Yeah, if only I could live up to the hype." I said shaking my head at that absurdity.

"I do not know what you are judging yourself against." Margaret replied. "There are five less Fomor who might just think all that hype is warranted." She mentally smiled at me.

"Anyway." I said changing the subject. "Did you happen to catch what the wizard said there near the end?" I asked.

"I am assuming you are not referring to his constant commands to 'kill her,' and instead are talking about how the Fomor exposed your spy and then placed their own within the coalition?" She asked.

"Exactly."

"And so then you have already worked out who it is?" She asked mildly impressed.

"Not even remotely." I said with a chuckle hiding my concern. "The best I have is some confidence in knowing who in our little group certainly cannot be the spy."

"Ah you are trying the process of elimination method." She nodded. "So are you calling upon me to play Watson to your Holmes?"

"I am hoping for you to keep me honest in case my deductions are wrong, biased, or seriously off track more than anything else." I said letting her know my intent.

"That seems reasonable." She agreed. "So Sherlock, please enlighten me with your dazzling intellect."

Have I ever mention that Margaret seems to have been the genetic source for much of Harry's sarcasm? I found myself shaking my head at this but continuing all the same.

"I cannot believe it is any of Karrin's team; at least not the first stringers who have all worked with Harry before. It might be a secondary member of the group, like one of the members of Paranet but Karrin takes measures to keep them at an arm's distance where operations are concerned like she does with Marcone and the White Court." I said right off the bat knowing that my emotions were obviously tied into this analysis since the primary group was literally made up of my family, friends, and even my priest. But even by acknowledging that emotional handicap I felt inside of me I still was certain I was correct in my assessment.

"None of our principle players have anything to gain by selling the rest of us out. They would all know that the Fomor would betray any deal they made once the danger was past because they have seen what we are up against first hand."

"I concur." Margaret said without an argument which nearly made me swerve off the road and onto a sidewalk. She was not big in agreeing with me right away.

"What?" I said shocked. "You are not going to argue with me and say I was letting my emotional loyalties get in the way of who could be our spy?" I asked confused. "You are not going to suggest that one or more of them might be mentally dominated and therefore now serving as the Fomor's unwilling servants?"

"Not really, no." She answered and then waited patiently with a mental smile.

"Why?" I asked. "It certainly is a valid possibility."

"Because my dear that type of subtle manipulation over another person's mind requires a deep knowledge of the target so as to not have them act out of character at an inopportune moment and give the game away, thereby having the spy turned back on them." Margaret responded. "Also the Fomor are aware of your illusionary and other mentally-based powers which we know includes a perchance for mind-control, and would certainly have to suspect that you would detect their meddling were they to attempt it. Therefore I agree it cannot be someone you deal with regularly such as those on Karrin's team because the Fomor are not that stupid."

"So that leaves the spy as one of Marcone's or a member of the White Court." I deduced mentally. "Am I missing anyone else?"

I knew Carlos and the White Council were occasional allies but Karrin did not trust them much in part because of things Harry had told her but even more because I of course had their death sentence hanging over me. Therefore, up until Carlos had promised aid that would not spend all their time tracking me down Karrin had made a conscious effort to keep them beyond arm's reach. As such a member of the Council would not have been an effective spy on what we were up to.

"Those two seem the safe deduction Lady Sherlock." She added a twinge of humor.

"And since it was Marcone's spy taken down, likely by a White Court vampire according to Butters, then the White Court seems the most likely source of our trouble." I reasoned thinking Marcone was not one to waste pawns and would not need to make it look like a vampire.

"I would agree." Margaret's voice acknowledged. "Marcone is not above sacrificing one of his own if it suits his ends, but it makes no sense for him to kill off his own spy just to cement an alliance with the Fomor when he could either just point them to us or take us down himself and accomplish the same while keeping his spy in place to ensure they keep their side of the bargain. Mr. Marcone is fairly direct, and while he can do subtle when necessary, that level of action only occurs when it serves his purposes not to draw attention to an event. I do not see that here as he came to us to report that the spy working for him had been neutralized."

I had to agree. Marcone would kill us straight out if that were his plan, or at least give it a really good try; I was not willing to be against Murphy in a throw down. This subtlety of placing an insider within our midst to betray us was far more in line with the operating methods of the White Court. For these vampires their very existence and prestige were built upon the subtle manipulation of power behind the scenes rather than overt demonstrations of it which they thought of as rather base and barbaric. So a White Court vampire betraying us to the Fomor, and in so doing making Lara look bad to the other White Court families for accepting such weak allies certainly fit the evidence we had laid out before us.

Of course, the best positioned member of their court to pull this off would be Felecia who served as the intermediary between our two camps and could therefore color the messages that passed between us. She would not lie, but subtly change inflections to suit her own purposes. All Felecia had to do over time was provide examples of our incompetence to Lara and others, underplay our concerns over White Court members so not to foster deeper internal investigations, pass along the useful small tidbits to the Fomor, and then make her play for power citing all these issues as reasons why her cousin was unfit to lead. It was a perfect series of interrelated chess moves that allowed her complete deniability if any of these steps were exposed but still a path to victory if she could pull them all off.

"I agree dear." Margaret's ghost had followed my thoughts through the most likely candidate. "Of course with the White Court and its passion for intrigue, an observer often can invent conspiracies that do not actually exist yet still make perfect sense. It is not unknown for one to let the lesser races do their dirty work on a rival by leaving a similar flimsy trail."

"So then someone else could be playing this game merely to set Felicia up?" I asked.

"Most assuredly." She agreed. "Though to be fair the level of intellect required to play this form of three dimensional chess is not something many of the Court can master until they age enough to achieve wisdom. The ones under a hundred years of age, which accounts for most of the Court, are usually too predisposed to give in to their baser natures or desiring instant gratification like the average human teenager. The elders weed out those they think unworthy, such as Thomas's father tried to do to him, leaving only the most cunning to reach their first century. That is why the ones who are capable of this level of games are so dangerous as opponents."

"And in your opinion is Felicia this type?" I asked. "Is she old enough for such a plan?"

"From my initial opinion I would have estimated her age at fifty or so and said no." Margaret argued against my thoughts. "She seems interested only in her base desires which often are a fatal flaw. However, the fact that Lara keeps her so close and has given her this mission that displays significant power to keep the alliance together either means Lara trusts her implicitly or not at all. This makes me wonder if she is not closer to eighty or ninety and merely playing the role we expect of her kind."

"So for Lara it is sort of a Machiavellian 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer' type of thing?" I asked.

"Actually dear Machiavelli may be credited for that particular statement by European scholars, as Sun Tzu is by ones from the East, however I have it on good authority that it was the father of my former ex-husband, Lord Raith the White King, who originally made that statement to each of these men during his centuries-long reign over the White Court." She replied. "Of course his original words were, 'keep your friends close and your family closer' as in the Court, 'family' and 'enemies' always mean the same thing."

"That is nice to know." I said blandly. In truth it was comments like these that scared me the most in a rather dark part of my mind. It was not so much what Margaret said, but the fact that she often presented information to me that I could swear I did not have. This made a great rationale argument for the idea that a part of the spirit of Harry's dead wizard mother was indeed trapped in my mind.

On the other hand if these voices were indications that my sanity was slipping then by all rights I should admit that I was already bat-shit crazy enough to be making up such believable lies that my own mind did not recognize them as such. If that were the case then I was every bit the danger that the White Council thought I was. It was one of those pleasant thoughts that tended to keep me awake.

"I would not spend too much time worrying about it Molly." Margaret's voice tried to comfort me. "In either case there really is not much you could do about it, especially when we have such pressing business to attend to first my dear."

"That is not particularly reassuring." I replied.

"It was not intended to be so dear." She said and we both laughed at the honest absurdity of this.

After a moment I turned toward the more important questions by leading into my concerns. "As I see it my best course is to go speak with Thomas and get his assessment of the situation." I spoke mentally.

"Yes dear, I think you are correct." I could tell she sensed what I was leading up to which was why all the 'dear' references to me.

"Well Margaret, since you were married to his father, what do you have in the way of insight on how to make me not want to jump him the moment I see him?" I asked her and thankfully she looked past the fact that I was speaking about her son specifically and responded more generally about the male White Court vampire as a species.

I had shared a soul gaze with Thomas at a point of weakness for both of us. I was a hurt and running off of exhausted adrenaline from surviving a big fight with a rather nasty demon-like thing, and he too was injured from the same fight and weak on top of it from not having fed in a very long time. I know it sounds like a very bad bodice-ripping novel but in seeing his soul and the loneliness and longing he was trapped within I was overcome by the experience of it.

Women hate to admit it, and thankfully most men are oblivious to it, but many of my gender have a natural and genetic inclination toward mothering. Unfortunately for us in our teenage and early twenties this often comes forth through a desire to 'fix broken things.' We see stray animals and we want to adopt them. We see boys making bad decisions with their lives and we want to put them on a better track; usually much to the displeasure of our fathers who want us to chuck them over the side of the boat and select instead the one not destined to live with his parents until he's forty.

Seeing Thomas in this vulnerable way as he was giving off the sexual feed me vibe took that natural firecracker level instinct in me and converted it into a thermonuclear bomb. Let's be fair though, the guy is friggin hot, or as I have heard many others around me, both male and female, refer to him – the tastiest form of eye candy available on the open market. The American Medical Association really should put a warning on him saying he can potentially lead to eye cavities because he is so sweet. Were he so inclined he could have model agencies and clothing designers throwing millions his way to just wear their clothes. Think of the hottest guy you know and then multiply it by Elvis, David Cassidy, or hell even Justin Beiber based upon your age.

I thought this way the first few times I saw him myself, and it was only my love for Harry's and his warnings that allowed me not to follow his brother around like a puppy. Thankfully, over time I grew slightly more immune to this effect, and with my emotional powers growing stronger I could sense when he was radiating his hungry 'all-male' sex vibe and take appropriate precautions; which basically amounted to greater distances between us followed by very cold showers.

During our soul gaze I had the protection of neither of these and while my consciousness screamed that he would surely devour me, I really did not care in the very least at that moment. I gave myself over willingly to that emotion radiating and at that moment would have happily allowed him to kill me just for a moment's experience of being totally immersed by such an uber-male. Because Thomas was so weak with hunger and pain he did not pull back either and had Harry not been there to stop us, then my moment of actual bodice ripping would have likely been my last.

Looking back now I also know that this event would forever have added even more guilt to Thomas and likely destroyed him as well. He would not have simply died from the grief of killing me and then put an end to his misery, instead he would have finally given himself over fully to the 'The Hunger' insider of him; what Thomas liked to call 'the demon' because he considered it separate from himself but inextricably joined to his soul. So had Harry not stopped me in my moment of weakness, I would now be dead and worse still I'd have released a true monster onto an unsuspecting world.

"I understand your worries all too well Molly." Margaret's voice was comforting and held more than a hint of empathy.

"I accepted the White Court's protection when I was fleeing from my father and the members of the White Council. I thought because I understood the monsters I placed around me, through this knowledge I could find the means to resist them." She explained. "I was so terribly naïve in this belief child. Thomas's father understood this situation immediately so he gave orders to all of the Court that I was not to be touched by any of them on pain of death."

"He protected you from them?" I asked because this seemed so out of character for what I knew from Harry and Thomas about Lord Raith.

"His action was nothing nearly so benevolent." She replied with more than a bit of anger and loathing at the memory. "He was merely staking off his own private hunting grounds and explaining to potential poachers that they would suffer greatly for their trespass."

"He confessed to me later that he made a deal with the other heads of the White Court families to have them back his open defiance of the White Council by not turning me over as they demanded. The deal was that Lord Raith had to prove to them once more his superiority to lead their Court. The task they set for him was that he had to have me come to him, knowingly accept him for what he was, and still submit fully to him in every way. He would lose his status to them if he used his seductive powers over me in any way. In essence he could not demand, could not take, but had to be freely offered by one who understood the full horror of what he was and was still not able to deny him. Only if he could do this would the Court back him against the Council."

"That must have been horrible!" I said knowing how twisted a mind like Lord Raith's was and therefore the things he was capable of.

"Only in retrospect my dear." Margaret explained. "That is where the danger of their kind truly derives as you have seen looking into the heart of my son." I knew she meant Thomas and not Harry. "As you walk down the paths they trod you often enjoy yourself immensely; I know I did."

"After making his off-limits declaration to his clan his next focus was on winning me." She said. "Like you fear right now, I suspected that he would attempt his charms on me and I was instantly defensive of any such action. But instead as a master stroke of strategy he took me before a council of the other White Court lords and beneath their disapproving gaze taught me a spell; a fairly simple one as he was not an accomplished wizard. It is probably the most horrible spell ever devised according to his kind's way of thinking."

"He taught me how to deny not only lust, but to turn off any and all emotions his clan could evoke." She explained. "Of course I was smart enough to immediately understand that what he was showing me was also how to deny the other White Court clans any powers they had as well so they could not use me as an unwitting pawn against him. It was solely for that purpose of informing them of my immunity that he demanded they bear witness to my instruction in this area. I only learned later when he wanted to break me completely that this was his first step in a series of hundred designed for meeting their demands and demonstrating his superiority. By teaching me how to resist his kind, any desire I displayed for him from that point forward was of my own choosing. Through just this first step he rose a notch in grudging respect from his peers that day."

"This then is the spell that I will show you my dear." Margaret explained patiently. "I promise you it works as well as any you might cast."

"But wait, obviously it did not work for you, right?" I asked knowing she had become Lord Raith's play toy, even bore him a son, before finding the strength to flee from him.

"No dear the spell works just fine." Margaret replied. "I was as immune to his incubus charms, as well as all those of the other White Court families. Under its power it was as if I had stood confidently within a circle of protection. Therefore I promise you that Thomas will hold no sway over you or your body while this spell operates, and that it is so simple that you can cast it as fast as your veils."

"Wait." I said still. "If it works so well why did he get power over you?"

"As I said my dear it didn't fail, I did." She replied. "Are you ready to learn?"

"Not until you finish explaining what went wrong." I said. "I do not need the gory details." Heaven knows I had enough of that from Crystal still rolling around in my mind. "The abridged version will do just fine."

Margaret mentally sighed and I understood this was not a part of her life she was particularly fond of sharing, but by the same token all of my life and memories lay fully exposed to her and she trotted them out when she needed to make a point. She had to share this memory now, not because I could compel her, but rather because it was a bond between us that we could not break.

"It failed because he let me believe that I was the one with the power in our relationship." She said after a moment and trying to hold back all emotions tied to these memories. "He spoke without regret of how he had taken thousands like me throughout his life and reveled in the wickedness of bending them to his will; making them his wonton slaves. He described in detail the acts of humiliation they willingly performed in exchange for his merest touch and how after he grew bored with them, which happened fast, he would toss them away to live with the knowledge of what they had so willingly done."

"Many killed themselves when they finally realized the depths to which they had sunk and realized further he and the White Court in total would never have anything to do with them again." She continued. "He did not even mourn the loss of these willing meals to satisfy his various appetites. Instead he kept count of their destruction in a series of journals with charcoal drawn images of each so that he could look upon their faces and remember them after they were gone. He once showed me an entire section of his personal library dedicated to just these types of books."

"I do not understand." I said. "If you knew him for such a monster and were protected from his powers why did you still succumb to him?" This seemed vital for me to understand so Thomas could not accomplish the same feat with me.

"Pride my dear." She replied. "In my wrath and horror at learning the depths of evil that my protector was capable of I reasoned that it was my duty to serve as the avenging angel for that library full of journal images. To hurt Lord Raith was to take from him that which he cherished most; namely the respect of his peers. The best way for me to do that was to face the very source of his full power, sample it, and then walk away from it as if it were nothing."

"His peers quickly learned and even tried to steer me away from this course of action." She continued. "Not for my own benefit of course, as I thought at the time, but rather for fear of his winning their bet and being forced to cede him even more respect and power over their clans. I of course ignored them as well and went willingly into the lion's den. And I learned there my dear that the lion was in truth a dragon and I lost that fight."

She paused and then continued again in a sorrowful whisper. "I lost almost completely, but in the end was able to hold onto a sliver of myself that was enough in time to find the will to resist him and flee, though it meant leaving my son behind. Turning his power against him in the end, much as a judo master uses an enemy's force for his own purpose, was satisfying, but not at the cost of my son."

Being that she was a wizard in life much like me her spirit was as sensitive to emotions as I was, but even so the story was enough to leave tears in my eyes and pity for a woman who I knew was so much stronger than me.

"No child." She said mentally drying my tears. "I may have had more power at my peak, though I think in truth we are much the same of strength, you have accepted temperance and wisdom that I denied in my folly. Molly you are every bit the wizard I was at the height of my power, and as you gain more experience you shall become even greater still. Few will remember me while all shall know of you."

I did not know how to respond to that. Acceptance and denial both seemed wrong so I said the only thing that seemed right at that moment.

"Okay, now show me this spell…"

I was on my way to the White Court mansion with the new spell ready in my mind when the alarm went off inside my head. It seems someone else was using the Los Angeles to Chicago pathway which meant it almost assuredly had to be Wardens. Carlos had promised to send help and also try to discourage them from looking for me while they were out here, but his hopes were not something I could so easily hang my concerns on. I had to check this out for no other reason than to know what I was up against incase they decided it was cute and perky wizard hunting season here in the Chicago area.

The pathway would take about a half hour to get back to which was cutting it awfully close considering that I was driving away from that particular alley at the time. Thankfully it was now late enough that day and evening shift workers in the city were home and in bed while those on the night shift were already on duty and so not on the streets. This meant the roads were mostly clear except for me and of course the occasional police car or taxi cab winding its way slowly through town.

I tossed a minor veil, one that did not make my car invisible but instead made it mentally not worthy of notice, and then willingly fractured a few speed limits trying to get to my destination. Even still I cut it really close and was only barely able to get myself up on an overlooking fire escape wrapped now in a much stronger veil just as the magic portal began to open.

Over the past few months I had also modified the backseat of my Mustang, carefully creating pockets in the seat cushion of the backrest where I concealed weapons. Anyone sitting on the seats would not feel their presence and unless someone looked closely for the hidden snaps in the leather, they would never figure out how to get to them. It was just another means to stay alive.

The weapons themselves were things I picked up along the way in my fights with the Fomor and other unsavory things that had come to town. I never took those weapons I knew had been fired at the time I acquired them because I did not want some snot nosed CSI pulling a ballistics match to any gun in my possession if I could help it.

I currently had in my collection a pump action, eight round, shotgun, three six revolvers of various calibers, and a bolt action hunting rifle with a scope. Yes I know the Fomor had much cooler automatic weapons that would increase my firepower, but as mechanical things had a way of failing around magic I preferred the more reliable, which means mechanically simpler options. For checking out the pathway travelers I grabbed the shotgun and a .357 pistol as my reliable alternative to spells.

Like I said my timing was spot on with almost nothing to spare as the portal opened and three Wardens came stumbling through apparently recently in the heat of a battle themselves. The female leading the way through tossed off a spell, it seemed some sort of detection-based magic I did not know specifically, as she did a quick scan around the alleyway. Her eyes traced right past the fire escape landing I was on without even a flicker of hesitation and then I began to breathe once more.

I took a moment to note she was at least a foot shorter than me and her dark hair and almond shaped eyes betrayed her as at least partially Korean or maybe Chinese in origin. The katana sword held comfortably in her left hand and the pistol equally at ease in her right proclaimed she was definitely the 'killer' in this particular Warden hunter-killer group.

Behind her came the second Warden, a swarthy Mediterranean looking man in his twenties who looked Arab in heritage from the way he carried himself. I noted immediately he had not succeeded in the recent fight as well as his Asian partner. His shirt was shredded exposing lots of tanned muscle underneath. His gray cloak was torn in half, part of which was used to make bandages wrapped around his waist leaving only two feet or so hanging part way down his back. Last, the sword in his hand had snapped off two inches or so above the hilt. Warden swords were hard to come by since we could not make them currently and I therefore understood why he was loathe to toss away what was left even if it were not longer a useful weapon. Worse still he was carrying the third member of the team over his shoulder.

The last Warden, another woman with blonde hair matted with blood, was unconscious or worse and from the empty sword belt she wore I assumed she had been another 'killer' on the team. That meant Mr. Ahab Dreamy was probably the hunter side of the team and therefore not particular good in a fight. Hunters were the less combat oriented intellectual wizards drafted into the Warden whose assignments were to understand and advise on the threats they faced and then step aside and let the killers to take care of it. Looks like in this case someone had miscalculated on their foes; badly.

"V, close it down before they come through!" The woman yelled to her partners and he stopped and carefully laid their wounded companion on the ground before turning back to the portal.

"She is unresponsive Leigh Lee." He reported checking the third one's pulse instead of closing the portal first. That second of compassion cost them the group their chance at safety as three more combatants came through the doorway, and none of them were wearing Warden's cloaks.

I recognized at once the three new arrivals were ghouls, the magic world's equivalents of mercenaries. They were mean and nasty by temperament and loved to kill by instinct, which meant those involved in killing were the only types of missions ghouls accepted.

Still, if it had been a battle of three ghouls against three Wardens then I would have given the advantage in that fight to the gray cloaks. Wardens understood teamwork better and had a wider variety of weapons at their disposal to call upon. However, since this group of Wardens had one down already with another currently weaponless and injured, things did not bode particularly well for the good guys.

The Asian girl did not hesitate and jumped in between the ghouls and her partners using the reach of her sword to initially keep the creatures back, cornered, and off balance. She even scored a shallow cut on the arm of one in the process of her initial rush as they tried to get a lay of the new battlefield before taking action.

Her aggressive tactic worked well at first, but only long enough for the ghoul trio to spread out to the left and right and start to circle around her staying beyond the reach of her sword but still within striking range if they rushed to attack.

Had she been on her own she might have put her back to the alley wall at least but because her partner had lain their wounded and unconscious companion down in the middle of the street they could only do so now if they were willing to sacrifice her. Furthermore, once the ghouls got all the way around her standing Arab partner he would become more of a hindrance that a help, keeping her from using her sword in all directions for fear of striking him by accident.

The Arab slumped to his knees dropping the useless sword hilt. "I am tapped out." He said looking like he would fall over at any second. "Save yourself Leigh." His voice I sensed held more emotion than was normal for just friendship with a partner.

"Not without you." The woman called back as she slashed at the one closing in from her left. Those words too were, if anything filled with even more love than his. "Which one of you bastards wants the last round?" She said flicking her gun from aligning with one ghoul to the next as a show of final desperation to take one of them with her. The two knew it was going to be their last stand.

Sometimes life really sucks. I mean the Wardens were duty bound to capture and execute me on sight, even if Carlos had offered to suspend that issue for the time being. Even so I knew they were not individually bad people. They just had signed up to perform a terrible job that even I admitted needed to be done. For my own survival, letting them die was probably the best thing I could do even if it meant watching them firsthand being torn apart by some of the worst scum in the magical universe.

So of course I could not let that happen.

The fact that the ghouls were trying to encircle their opponents meant one would have to sooner or later come right near to where I was standing on the fire escape above the battlefield. I am not a particularly excellent shot like Murphy who won shooting contests, nor even in Crystal's league, but the advantage of a twelve gauge shotgun is that you really do not have to be to use it well. I lined up the sights for right between the nearest ghoul's shoulder blades and pulled the trigger.

The sights, it seems, were set low. Instead of a shot to the heart, the ghoul's neck exploded causing its head to fall to the ground but looking upward at his still standing body beside him. The brain of the creature still functioned enough for the first second afterwards to crinkle the muscles around its eyes into one of wonder before the decapitated body fell over on top of it.

The others, wardens and ghouls, were all frozen by this unexpected event as well. I took the opportunity to toss my revolver toward the Wardens. "Kill them already!" I ordered and before the ghouls could react and get out of the way, the Asian girl fired off her last round into the chest of the one right in front of her. She did not kill it, ghouls are not that easily put down, but at least she succeeded in knocking it from its feet.

The Arab with the six pack abs noticed my present and turned in an instant from succumbing to quiet desperation back into a wicked smile of thanks as he snatched the gun I tossed him from midair with a flash of perfectly aligned white teeth and pumped three rounds, two to the chest and one to the head, of the third ghoul in front of him. He then spun and finished off his partner's wounded one with the same deadly efficiency which was fine with me as that finished off the bullets in the weapon and left me as the only one holding a loaded gun at the moment.

That realization was not long in coming to the Wardens either as the pair turned to look in my direction.

"You must be the famous Rag Lady Molly Carpenter." The sheik of smiles said pointing the empty gun away from me.

"And if I am?" I asked not pointing the shotgun directly at them but still within an easy arc for a quick shot if the situation so required.

The Asian girl took three quick steps in my direction raising her sword. "Then we have to…" The rest of her words were cut off by her partner's hand coming down upon her arm and stopping her though it was obvious to me that her intention had been to see the outstanding warrant fulfilled.

"…offer our thanks to our rescuer." He said and the Asian girl blinked before looking around at the dead ghouls realizing it would have been them if I had not helped out. "In my country it is considered bad manners to try and kill someone who saves your life; at least until the next sundown." He said as an obvious offer of truce.

"At least." I agreed accepting it.

"Then Leigh we must observe good protocol, recognize this truce, and thank Ms. Carpenter for her timely assistance." He said and I registered that the hostility in his partner slowly drained down to an acceptable level of mere annoyance at my presence. It was fun being able to read emotions like fuel gauges sometimes.

"You are welcome." I said moving the shotgun a little more away from the pair as a show of respect as well. "I take it Carlos sent you as the backup he promised?" I asked.

"Carlos?" The sheik asked confused. "Ah you mean Warden Commander Ramirez? Yes he ordered us here to see what we could do to assist the rebels in Chicago." That was funny to me that Carlos was so formal with his underlings but hell I mean after a few years of war with the Red Court and now fighting battles all across the globe it probably was a necessity to maintain some semblance of order.

The sheik nodded and turned away from me as the pair bent over to look at their third member who had still not moved from where he had lain her body down. The immediate reaction of horror from the Asian girl and the total lack of any emotion from him was enough to tell me that their partner was dead. I could also sense that confusion was now setting in for the both of them.

"I am sorry for your loss." I said after a moment of letting them have their own silent grief. The Asian woman would not look at me as sobs wracked her body but the man turned and nodded once accepting my empathy without verbalizing it.

"She was our commander." He said after a moment. "And she was also the one who had been entrusted with our orders on who to seek out once we arrived. We will have to return her to Commander Ramirez and admit we failed him."

The last thing any of us needed was more bad news. True we were still fighting, but it was only a resistance operation and not a successful campaign we were waging. These two Wardens were the most support the White Council had offered the city of Chicago in months and to have them turn away meant we not only had to keep fighting on our own, but would put further strains on our tepid alliance with the wizards.

"Put her body back on the pathway and I will try and get someone to take it back to Los Angeles for you." I said, adding a little steel to my voice and the subtle emotions I was projecting. "As for whatever mission Carlos sent you here for, as of right now you are detailed to Karrin Murphy as her liaisons to the White Council. Carlos…I mean Warden Commander Ramirez promised to send help to serve as his eyes and ears. He wanted to make Chicago a safe haven to carry the fight on to other cities. That fight starts now if you are willing to see it through." I said hoping to build their confidence.

"You are a renegade." The Asian girl said not so much as an accusation but as a statement of fact. For the first time I noticed she was even younger than I was.

"I am." I said. "But you do not have to work with me and compromise your principles. Karrin Murphy is a former cop here in Chicago and her duty lies to the people of this city who she has sworn to protect. Isn't that what both the White Council and Wardens tell themselves the purpose of their existence is too; saving the rest of the human race from magical dangers? Well now is your chance to live up to that goal."

The pair looked from me to each other for a moment and then back to me before the sheik spoke for them. "It is a pity that fate has chosen to make us enemies Ms. Carpenter." He said with a smile. "You are truly worthy, more worthy than many, to wear the title of a Wizard of the White Council. Know that we accept your offer and seek out Ms. Murphy. You should also know that should I be the one who has to kill you one day, I will do so with heartfelt regret. Warden Leigh Lee and I will abide by the truce between us until we observe the next sunset."

I am not sure which I found more absurd, the name Leigh Lee which meant her parents had to hate her, or that my potential executor now admitted to regret my death but still planned to carry it out all the same.

"Until sunset then." I said before giving them Murphy's address and leaving them to their business. I just prayed I could catch a couple hours of sleep before then.


	6. Chapter 6

**Honor's Debt**

**_Monday Early Morning _**

**_Chapter 6_**

"Name?" The audio speaker mounted little pedestal requested as the camera on the stately yet intimidating white brick wall turned to focus more directly upon me and the car I was driving. I had little doubt that within seconds my license plate was being run through a computer and matched to the driver's license photo of me in the DMV database. Good luck with that. I am pretty sure I had blue and pink hair the day that one was taken. Or maybe it was purple. Yeah I think I was in my purple phase that week. God I miss those carefree days where I judged my survival based solely on what I wore; as in 'mother if you make me wear that I swear I am going to die!' Life was becoming so unfair I really wanted just to scream.

"Molly Carpen…" The little speaker began to squelch as I spoke followed by a small wisp of smoke rising up from the camera as well. Hmmm. I guess my desire to scream was a little stronger than I had thought. Whoops. Sucks to have magic sometimes.

Say what you may about the White Court and their perchance for indulging in physical distractions but their commitment to security certainly did not suffer for this. Within fifteen second seven members of the security detail stood opposed to me on the other side of the wrought iron gate, six placing little red dots from laser sights in the middle of my chest while the seventh paced calmly up to the still secured metal portal with a swagger of confidence that you only achieved from real life and death combat situations. I know because I had developed it as well and used it when I wanted to make a point.

When my magic fried the electronics I had wisely stayed in my car both to keep responding security calm that this was no breach attempt and more important as a deniability factor that I had been the source of the malfunction. If I admitted guilt I was honor bound by the magical accords to pay for replacement and this equipment looked seriously expensive. But if I said nothing all sides could agree to the illusion that it was a technical glitch or bad components or something. Unlike a cute and perky wizard the White Court did not lack for funds.

"Business or pleasure Ms. Carpenter?" The lead agent asked confirming they had access to a pretty damn good database if it only took them fifteen seconds to identify me.

"I thought there was no difference at Raith Mansion." I said with a smile that did not get even the responding flicker of amusement that I was hoping for. Like I said the White Court did not skimp on security. "Okay, okay I want to speak with Thomas Raith if he is here." I explained.

The guard kept his distance from me to protect his electronics and keep him out of the line of fire as he spoke into the microphone running along his cheek. "Subject is requesting visitation with Mr. Thomas Raith." He said and waited for a response. I wondered if Lara handled these issues herself or delegated them to one of her associates.

It took only a second but the voice on the other end must have given me approval. The guard stepped up to the gate and opened it manually, either to prevent me from shorting out the electric motor or because I had already accomplished that with my earlier emotional burst. "Follow the driveway and park in front of the main house. Someone will meet you there." The guard proclaimed and only after he stepped aside did the half dozen dots of light on my chest finally wink off.

I nodded and drove slowly so not raise any additional security concerns and also to allow whoever was designated to meet me the chance to arrive before I did. That was not a major concern as it took nearly two minutes to drive from the gate to the house, but Raith Mansion was pretty big and depending on where my reception committee was located, or for that matter what they were doing when the call came in, they might require the additional time to get themselves together and meet me at the front door before letting me wander off on my own.

For the second time since I started my little journey of tracking Thomas down tonight I was surprised. The first had come when I found that he was not in his apartment where he had spent so much of his time since Harry had died. Grief over that event had hit us all hard and while I'd like to think I'd had it the worst, Thomas and Karrin probably could give me a run for my money. The stories I'd heard of him and even the times I'd come by to look in on him all displayed a man lost, adrift, and coming apart as his soul was torn to shreds. Not having him answer the door to his apartment made me worried, though I knew where a spare key was kept so I had no problems getting into the place even if I was dreading what I might find.

To my shock the apartment was meticulously clean once more. All visible signs of his grief, mostly in the form of empty whiskey bottles the last few times I had checked in on him, were gone as was their lingering odor. The room did not have the sense of life to it that it had when I first met Thomas. Now it was more antiseptic in nature.

I let my senses flow and realized that the levels of grief that lingered here were not nearly as strong as they had been before which told me Harry's brother was healing. More noticeable to me though was that the overwhelming sense of hunger was gone. That made me afraid and told me Raith Mansion was where I had to go. Either he was going to be there, or he had let loose his demon and those who were would need to know about that as well.

On the drive over there I could not shake the feeling that I was being followed again. You know how you get that little feeling right in the middle of your shoulder blades? Yeah that was the feeling I was having but try as I might while driving I could not find anything following me. I even engaged my wizard sight but still saw nothing around me or even flying over me. Not that it was particularly hard to hide in downtown Chicago if you were so inclined, but still I just wish I knew for certain.

I was thereby a bit relieved when the guards at the mansion passed me through the gate as it meant Thomas was in residence here. That relief ended though when I saw him standing, or rather leaning, casually against the stone stair railing as I pulled up to the house. He looked good. Not merely healthy good, or coping with his grief good, but GOOD! I cast a second dose of Margaret's resistance spells upon myself for additional insurance before I exited the car.

"I hear you came here to see me." Thomas smiled in such a way that without the spell I'd probably have felt my knees go weak.

"Thanks Margaret!" I spoke silently in my mind for her assistance in not making a fool, or a meal, of myself.

"You are welcome child." She replied.

"I did." I said happy to note that he was not disappointed that I had not swooned for him. That meant this whole seductive wave was not a subtle attack on me but rather just Thomas being Thomas. "We need to talk about the White Court."

"Not trying to get me to reveal family secrets are you Molly?" He said jokingly but with a very strong undertone lying right behind the casual manner of his speech. He either suspected me of something or was looking for a specific reaction from me.

"Trust me, if this is a family secret you probably do not know about it either and will definitely want to." I said by way of an explanation.

That answer seemed to get his attention and made him slightly more cautious and intrigued at the same time. He had something brewing in his mind obviously. "We will need to find somewhere private to talk." He said letting his eyes dart quickly to inform me that there were cameras and microphones everywhere. It is not like succubae had any natural leanings toward morals or embarrassment so bedrooms would probably be full monitored in the mansion as security was of a higher importance than modesty. But hey that was Thomas's issue to deal with.

"Lead the way." I said both to agree and to subtly let him know I did not trust him enough to let him stand behind me, not when he was so obviously well fed and healthy again. Like his own subtle message mine passed to him as well and received only a slight curve of his lips, a flash of his eyes, and nod of respect.

We walked past parlors and libraries without so much as a consideration for serving as a final destination making me certain that Thomas had a location in mind that would meet our needs for a private discussion. I kept a very tight rein on my emotions, benefitted in no small part by Margaret's spell, so that I would not fry all the various electronic sensors and equipment saturated in the walls around us. It was meant as a demonstration of respect; plus Harry told me that the Whites had once mounted claymore mines in the walls to deal with intruding pesky wizards and I figured I did not want the electronic triggers for these failing as I passed by.

We went up a grand staircase with lovely sloping and curving banisters that any child would surely have ridden, though I doubt what I heard about Lord Raith that such frivolous activity was acceptable even with his children. For those who think we force little mortal girls to grow up too soon and begin expressing their sexuality at a far too early age I can only say for the White Court it is even worse.

Thomas opened a door and stepped back to let me enter the room first. I gave it a look, noting it was of course a bedroom on this floor where I assumed most were. This one was rather sparse in furnishings, none at all in fact except for a heart-shaped canopy bed that lay in the center of an otherwise circular room with a single window.

"You are kidding right?" I asked not even beginning to take a step into that room.

"I thought it seemed rather appropriate." He said all swarthy and smiling either really confident in himself or he was playing it up for the television cameras hidden in the walls. Trouble was with the way his emotions were registering I could not get a read on if he was playing me or playing for the cameras and did not like those odds.

"What is this, a bridal suite?" I asked with a laugh trying to defuse the situation or at least figure out his game.

"No that is down the hall actually." He said with a flash of his eyes. "This room is called the Virgin's Suite."

"Oh Hell no!" I said but before I could protest further his mouth came down over mine, his arm slipped around my waist and scooted me easily inside, remember he is rather strong under that lanky form of his, and then he kicked the door casually closed with the back of his heel. These were obviously moves he was well practiced in.

Perhaps thanks in part to Margaret's spell I did not feel him draining me in any way and was still clear enough of mind to call up magic. When I say clear enough I do want to point out that even without his vampiric powers Thomas still is an incredible kisser. I'm a wizard. I am trained to notice these things. Its in the apprentice handbook, page something or other…

"Forzare!" I spoke into his mouth but shouting is not required to cast spells. It needs force of will more than pronunciation. I had the will.

As I have said dozens of times I am nowhere near Harry's level of power with breaking things spells. I also did not have the advantage of his staff or my wand to channel the power through so the magic in the spell I cast radiated outward from me in all directions at once. But as Thomas was standing right there kissing me the force I unleashed was enough to push him back and break his lip lock on me. It actually pushing him more than an arm's reach away which for me was a good thing, though I admit it held a little disappointment too. Like I said he is a great kisser!

The spell also shorted out a dozen or more pieces of electronics in the walls around us based upon the sudden appearance of thin lines of smoke rising from them to meet for a moment at the angel strewn fresco in the ceiling. Wow, sex in the Sistine Chapel. If Father Forthill could only see me now.

Thomas smiled as he looked around the room and then right at me. "That was great Molly!" He said starting to step forward. I did not know if he meant the kiss or the effect on the electronics and in truth was afraid I'd be disappointed with the answer if I asked.

I drew in a whole lot of magic and now pointed my palm directly at his chest. "Stay where you are Thomas." I said. "I came here to talk, not for any other activities you may have in mind."

He looked at me confused for a moment and then smiled. "Talking is all I intended to do as well Molly." He said staying outside of arm's reach as he side stepped and then walked over to the bed and sat on the edge as it was the only piece of furniture in the room.

"Right, so that is why you kissed me." I challenged.

"No, I kissed you so that you would short out the electronics watching and listening to us." He explained. "I expected it to happen more naturally if you lost yourself in the moment, but the spell results work out just as well for my purposes." He said approvingly. "Now come over here and sit down." He patted the bed right beside him.

"Yeah, that is so not going to happen." I replied keeping my outstretched hand pointed at him. "You just tried to make me a snack and you expect me to come back and offer you seconds?"

"First of all I did not 'just try and make you a snack' Molly." He said. "You may not have noticed but I did not feed on you when we kissed. Second though I have to admit I am impressed. How did you actually not succumb to those feelings when I kissed you at least?" The second question obviously left him confused.

"Consider it a trade secret." I replied figuring there was no point in telling him that I had acquired the magical means to resist him as that can only lead to more awkward questions that I did not want to answer. The look of respect that I saw in his eyes for the answer I did provide was all I needed to know I could lower my hand. Thomas was not a threat; well perhaps not to me at least.

"You have been feeding I see." I said very neutrally so not to offending him with judgment. Harry would not have been happy, but Thomas ws not my brother and I had learned to accept worse.

"I have." He nodded slowly. "Is that a problem?"

"You tell me."

He looked closer at me, right in the eyes in fact, but the benefit of a mutual soulgaze is that once two people have shared one they never can do so again so I stared right back in open defiance.

"Tell you what." He said as his emotions began to take on a rather calculating demeanor. "I will explain everything to you if you answer a simple question first for me." He offered.

"You will explain yourself anyway if you expect me to trust you." I replied. "But if you want a question answered then I get one from you in return." In truth I said that last more as a fishing expedition because I was getting the sense that Thomas was looking for something rather important to him. He seemed to wonder if I knew more than I was letting onto. The resistance spell probably had a lot to do with that because my lack of swooning was not a natural reaction to his charms. Thankfully Harry had taught me when confused talking to a potential opponent, always act like you know more than the person sitting across from you.

"Agreed." He said very slowly watching my reaction. I merely smiled back at him and nodded for him to proceed.

"Venatori." He said a single word rather than a question and looked intensely for any immediate reaction from me. The word seemed to jar a memory somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind, but as quick as the feeling came it seemed to flee like a half remembered dream upon awakening. I could feel my forehead scrunch as I tried to chase the thought but it was gone to where my consciousness could not follow.

"Is that a question?" I finally asked when I saw him looking at me with a relieved smile.

"Not anymore." He replied. "You gave me the answer I was looking for." His emotions read as one highly relieved of an overriding concern and possibly relief for not doing something he feared. "So you have a question in return for me?"

"Later maybe. Business comes first in this case." I said trying to push that away for now. In truth I still did not actually have a question after all this display but I figured why tell him that. "You were going to explain why this little deception and your current health."

"As I said, you required privacy and here in Raith Mansion that particular desire is one of the very few that is rather hard to come by." He replied with a casual smile again.

"So you brought me to the bridal… the virgin suite?" I asked.

"For those watching it would seem appropriate and completely in character." He replied. "And with your timely removal of eavesdropping devices we are granted the privacy you so desired."

"Why not just take me to your room if we are playing a game of show and tell for an audience?" I asked.

"Because at this moment Justine is asleep in my room and I have no desire to awaken her." He said. "She certainly earned a well deserved few hours of rest." The particular emotions sliding off of his body as he ran that memory through his mind does not require repeating here but it certainly explained how Thomas was so well fed.

"How is that possible? I saw in your mind that day we shared..." I started confused and the mention of the soulgaze also seemed to strike chords with his emotions as well. He had seen something in me. Regardless I needed to know what was going on.

"I know you love Justine and that she loves you too. Her touch on your skin burns you. If you loved her it would literally kill both of you. How is that now possible?" I asked because this was as key a piece of what had broken Thomas easily as much as Harry's death had. I was not sure if his getting past this situation was a cause for celebration or for concern.

"In the case of that particular protection or curse, whichever you care to consider it, it only works for as long as the parties who have loved each other stay true." He explained. "Once either of them violates that bond the effect between them is no more of a concern."

"So you cheat on Justine and that allows you to have her to feed off of?" I said in shock. I mean I admit to not being the most moral person I know, but still this struck me as just a few degrees left of center.

"Actually I love her too much to cheat on her as you so aptly put it." He replied. "She gave me that permission to do so long ago, has even gone so far as to beg me to do so, but I never could. I knew that if I did then The Hunger in me would eventually win."

"I don't understand then." I was confused.

"I said 'I' do not cheat on her." Thomas replied. "She cheats on me with someone I know means nothing to her. This removes the curse that keeps us apart, at least temporarily. Because I know she is doing it for me and only me I forgive her completely and we make love once more as a means to make up which also allows me to feed enough to regain my strength. This restores the curse of course, but then we merely repeat the pattern the next time I have thee need to feed, or we have other needs." He explained as if this were the most natural situation in the world.

I shook my head trying to remove the images from my mind. This was the White Court and their rules were not those governing the rest of us. But now I understood why Harry had told Lara that one day he was going to take the Whites down as well. But for now Karrin needed them as allies against the Fomor so I let Thomas's explanation go and turned to more important matters at hand.

"I think the White Court has a traitor in its midst." I said changing the conversation to the more pressing matter.

"Probably a dozen." Thomas said totally unconcerned by my accusation.

"What?" I asked shocked.

"Molly, undercutting and dominance over other are the coins of our realm." He said. "There are probably dozens of plots within plots for various members to strengthen their position within the family being hatched within this house right now."

"And these include working with the Fomor?" I asked. That little detail got his attention.

"No." He said. "That is not merely undercutting for jockeying position. That is betrayal of our family and the punishment for that type of offense is death." He said with the most intense sense of seriousness he had shown since I arrived.

"Well then you need to call out the White Court Wardens or whoever you have that handles your executions for you." I replied.

"Lara will handle such things herself if it is proven." Thomas said in response only half listening to me as his mind seemed to race to other things. "Leading a family includes ultimately demonstrating control over life and death of its members. Lara would kill any traitor before the eyes of all of the rest of us, in the most horrific and painful way she could devise, to ensure we all understood the punishment for betraying the family." Yeah when he explained it like that I had to agree it made the most sense from what I knew of the Whites and of Lara herself.

"What do you have?" He asked turning his full attention to me. I came over and sat on the bed, keeping space between us, but admitting finally I needed to rest at least that much.

I spent the next ten minutes laying out everything I had from what was said by Marcone about the death of his spy through confirmation from Butters of a likely White Court vampire as the killer. Then I let him know what the Fomor wizard had let slip.

"And you are sure you did not get that juicy tidbit as a way to cast more doubt on us and break our fragile alliance?" He asked. I understood that line of questioning since deception and pointing the finger at a rival were a key tools in the White Court's standard arsenal.

"Do you think they would sacrifice five of their own, including a wizard, just to try and pass this bit of information to a no nothing wizard?" I asked reminding him they had not known me as the Rag Lady.

"No." He said after a moment. "You are right. That cost is way too high for merely raising doubts, not when so many other means could accomplish the same ends."

I laid back on the bed with my legs dangling off as I let him stew over these details for a while, picking them apart in his mind and reassembling them in any way he desired. He knew the intricacies of the White Court far better than I because he had to live them. If there were any details to piece together or any lines of questioning that I had overlooked he would find them. I closed my eyes for a moment.

"Molly wake up." Thomas said and my eyes snapped open immediately noting that the sun was not yet starting to lighten the room. There was also a blanket strewn across my body and Thomas was now not wearing his shirt any longer.

"How long..?" I started to ask more than a little confused.

"A couple hours." He said. "You looked like you needed the rest and I need the time to think this through."

"Ummm… and the blanket?" I asked lifting it to remind him but actually using that excuse to make sure I was still clothed.

"An hour or so ago the guards came by to check on things since the electronic monitors were out." He explained. "The blanket was for 'your modesty' and the loss of my shirt was for maintaining the image." His explanation made sense though boy did that make me appear easy! Of course I am betting that was a fairly common thought for visitors to Raith Mansion and probably some who had spent time in this very room.

"Well hope I did not disappoint." I said below my breath but Thomas heard it anyway and smiled without taking the bait.

"Have you figured out who the traitor is yet?" I asked hoping he could solve this for us.

"No." He said obviously not happy with that fact.

"No one?" I asked.

"Just the opposite." He said. "It could be anyone. The plot you have is so strewn full of holes that other than knowing there is a White Court member involved, and yes I am fairly sure on that point you are correct, there is no useful detail that points firmly in any direction."

"But the plot requires somebody pretty smart, right?" I asked.

"Absolutely!" He agreed. "The problem is that other than Lara or myself I do not think there is anyone else in the family that is that smart." He said without a smile.

"It was not you, right?" I said jokingly.

"I almost wish it was, but unfortunately no. I tell you truthfully it is not I." He said. "And we can of course safely assume Lara is not betraying herself in this case."

"So…?"

"So that means one of my lovely family is far smarter than I gave her…or him…credit for." Thomas said. "That means they have been hiding this intellect of theirs for years which means it is not going to be easy to figure out who it is because they have perfected keeping it concealed from the rest of us."

"Okay, but the party involved must have a plan in mind for personal gain at least." I reasoned. "As I see it this has to be a challenge to Lara's power so it is someone looking to move up the ladder, right?"

"Sure." He agreed. "But the White Court does not work like a royal family. Lara took control because she was the most conniving bitch under my father, not because she was first born or the eldest remaining of his children." Thomas explained.

"Oh so if this is one of the distant cousins plotting her downfall…" I began to ask.

"Then his or her success would be all they need on their resume as proof of their worthiness to lead." He confirmed.

"And I thought my family was seriously screwed up wondering if any of us would inherit my father's sword." I said trying to be sympathetic.

"You do not begin to even comprehend the levels of what my 'family members' are capable of doing if they see it as a means to power." He said very seriously and obviously running some of the juicier details of past events through his mind once more.

That path was not going to lead anywhere useful and time was our enemy. I had spent a lot of time with Karrin so I knew the basics of police work and solving crimes. It seemed to me that these same rules should apply in this situation as well.

"Okay you say you have no clue which of your family has the intellectual means to pull this off, right?" He nodded immediately in agreement.

"And if we assume the motive is to take over the family and the betraying us to the Fomor is just the tool to accomplish this then we still come up short on suspects, right?" I asked.

"I would say the register is all inclusive, but yes I agree with what you are saying about it not narrowing the list." He nodded once more.

"Okay then that leaves opportunity." I supplied as the third option. "It is not like all of the White Court has the opportunity to betray us because our alliance forces work in cells rather than together." I reasoned rather well I thought. "To betray us would require at least a minimal level of trust to know our plans, and I can guarantee you that Karrin is not about to trust any member of the White Court that she does not know."

"How many would that leave?" I asked and Thomas began to mentally consider this.

"Lara, me, Felicia…" He called them out. "…and possibly a handful of Lara's close advisors smart enough to piece together what is going on." He said making me suddenly think of Justine who served as Lara's administrative assistant and so had access to lots of information and would be perfect for this type of betrayal as well. Thomas watched me consider this as he had already had done so and when I mentally dismissed Justine as unlikely as well he nodded as well and offered a silent thanks. But Justine reminded me that Lara probably had other confidants and perhaps the other White Court vampires did as well.

"Thomas, is there anyone you share this kind of operational information with?" I asked trying to scope the problem.

"No." He said and then immediately corrected himself. "Well of course Justine but…"

"But she is already in Lara's confidence so it is not adding to the problem." I reasoned and he agreed. "What about Felicia? Does she have someone like Justine?"

"No." Thomas answered. "My cousin is not one for forming any kind of bond of more than a temporary nature, and by temporary I mean single nights are the norm. That is why Lara selected her for the liaison with Karrin's team because she knew that even if Felicia grew to respect them she would willingly toss Murphy and the others away without a second thought if it created a challenge to her own standing in the family."

"That sounds like just the mercenary attitude required for betraying us." I said a little concerned.

"That is only because you are looking at it from a human perspective." Thomas replied. "For one of my kind that type of lifestyle is actually the perfect reason to trust her. She will not form the bonds required for conspiracy to betray. Also she had Felicia over a barrel. If she succeeds in keep the alliance together Lara looks wise in her selection of an ambassador and if Felicia falls she is Lara's scapegoat."

"Still as the one closest to us, and having had a confrontation with Karrin that did not go in her favor, I still think Felicia is worth further scrutiny." I suggested.

"What confrontation with Karrin?" He asked betraying a concern and reassessment in his emotions.

"I heard that she figured out Karrin had the two swords you had been safekeeping." Thomas knew at once the weapons I was speaking of. "She offered to keep that knowledge secret if Karrin submitted to a feeding." That fact made Thomas's eyes open wide.

"And?"

"And Karrin kicked her ass so hard she ended up breaking parts of Felicia's face, not to mention her grandmother's coffee table in the process." I said not without a certain sense of pride.

"Ah that explains where those bruises Justine had mentioned to me truly originated from." Thomas smiled in memory. "Felicia claimed it was the results of a rather adventuresome masochistic encounter." I blanched and had to remind myself that White's were a race unto their own in many respects and not one I cared to fully comprehend.

"So, does this situation increase her motive in your eyes?" I asked knowing this question was driven more by my dislike of Felicia than any new fact on my part.

"Perhaps." He agreed with a slow nod. "Her knowing about the swords and not mentioning them to Lara is even more important though. It means little Felicia has learned to strategically think these issues through and keep trump cards in her hand instead of reporting them as she should." He paused in though for a little longer and I said nothing.

"How familiar are you in feeling the Fomor's type of magic?" Thomas asked me after a minute or so of silence.

"I'd say I'm fairly familiar with it after tonight." I said half jokingly as I moved and was reminded of pains this type of magic had indirectly caused me this evening.

"So if Felicia or her belongings has been in its presence recently then you would be able to sense it?" He asked.

"Only if she encountered it or them in the last twenty-four hours." I said. "Dawn washes those kinds of things away."

He looked as his wind up watch, a gift from Harry in fact, and then back to me. "Then we need to go check out Felicia's room right now."

"Okay, I understand that dawn is close, but what makes you think there will be anything there?" I asked.

"She met with Karrin last night." He said. "Since the wizard mentioned having a spy it is possible that this fact was on his mind."

"Right, especially if she had just reported on the meeting to him and that we knew the spy had been taken out by a White Court vampire." I reasoned and he nodded his head.

We got up from the bed, Thomas grabbed his shirt and pulled it on but left it unbuttoned. I came along in his wake struggling to keep up because of all my bruises. The nap had helped but because the medication had worn off I was feeling them more now than when I had first arrived.

"What if she is in her room now?" I asked. "That could be a little awkward."

"She never stumbles in before dawn." He said dismissing my concern but giving me another reason why time was of the essence.

We got to the door and Thomas was about to open it but his hand stopped just above the doorknob. "Harry's wards would blow me through the wall if I tried to enter without permission." He said. "This wizard you encountered. Do you think he is as strong as that?"

"Maybe." I said judging what little I saw of his strength but then thinking on the subject more. "The Fomor's magic though is more entropic in nature. If there is a ward it is likely to paralyze you rather than blow holes through you." I explained.

"Great…" He said sarcastically. "That is such a better situation for all parties involved."

"Let me look." I said and he stepped back as I opened my wizard sight and gave the door a quick one over.

"It's clear." I proclaimed. "But I can't tell if it is locked or not." I said explaining the limitations of my sight.

He smiled and turned the handle letting the door swing open. "We are White Court Molly." He said with a chuckle. "We are far more inclined to invite strangers in than keep them out of our bedrooms." He stepped into the room and I followed before he closed the door.

I'm not sure what I can say to describe it except that the room lingered somewhere between Madonna and Lady Gaga on the gaudy scale. I was literally afraid to touch anything, and not because I feared spells exploding into life but rather what might transfer to my skin. There were magical equivalents to sexually transmitted diseases and this room appeared to me to be the perfect biological lab for breeding them.

I am also happy that my ability to sense magic was not related to my actual sense of smell. Within seconds I had to use a spell to turn my nose off because the overpowering aroma of previously burnt incense was starting to cause me a migraine. Thank god my spells could be used to save me from such things.

I closed my eyes and began a meticulous search for any sense of magical residue moving away from the door, around the piles of discarded clothes lying heaped on the floor, even gave a quick scan of the closet and found nothing. I turned back to look at Thomas and shake my head but found he had opened the door a crack and was peering with one eye down the hall the way we had come from.

"Nothing." I said but his hand waving silenced me from a second word as he closed the door.

"She is coming." He whispered very quietly when walking quickly up to me.

"I thought you said she never comes in until after dawn." I protested.

"It is about dawn and in this case she is not alone." I understood that meant she was planning on entertaining, in the same way I used to wake up at night and raid my parent's refrigerator.

"I'm not hiding with you in the closet." I whispered looking around the room for options. The idea of what I would be subjected to hearing was worth the potential magical battle.

"Bathroom." He whispered taking my hand and pulling me along behind him.

"Not there either!" I protested. "She might decide she wants some shower time romance or something."

"It's a shared bath." He explained pulling me in and closing the door to Felicia's room as he pushed me toward the other one across from it.

"Yeah, well what about whoever is living on this side?" I asked without opening the door. "It's not like I plan on saying 'room service'… or for that matter being 'room service.' This was not my idea of a well thought out plan. Somewhere I bet Harry was laughing.

"Not a problem." He said while sliding past me in this cramped area. "It's presently vacant because Lara needed to assign a liaison with the White Council." I got a whiff of Thomas's manliness being this close to him and nearly swooned suddenly remembering that the spell Margaret had taught me had also expired at dawn. Shit it must be getting really close! Thankfully he did not notice this effect that I had resisted before, or more importantly was too distracted to care about this right now. I pulled up magic and was about to cast the resistance spell again when I caught a familiar scent.

He was reaching for my arm to pull me after him into the next room when I told him to stop. "Wait I smell something." I said looking around until I finally found a sliver of glass caught on the sink drain. I was careful not to cut myself with the shard that was maybe a half inch long and an eighth of an inch wide at its widest point. It was also giving off the distinctive fishy smell related to Fodor magic. I held the shard up to show Thomas and then let myself be pulled into the next room which thankfully was clean and as personally unadorned as any hotel room I'd even seen.

Thomas shut the bathroom door behind us holding his index finger to his lips to remind me to stay quiet because vampires have excellent hearing.

"What did you find?" Thomas came close and whispered right in my ear sending chills of excitement running through my body. Worse he did not seem to notice as he kept looking at the sliver of glass I held between my thumb and forefinger.

"I'm not..." I stuttered began before Margaret's voice interrupted me.

"It is part of a message stone Molly." She explained and I suddenly saw in my mind's eye how wizards created glass beads and then implanted magical messages in them. The receiver would then hold the bead up to their forehead and the message would transfer. Glass was used because it allowed for easy breaking and disposal after the message was reviewed, sort of like a Mission Impossible message will self destruct feature. The bead would resist sunrises, much like my shield bracelet did, as long as it was whole. Once broken the magic within would scatter.

"Wait, I think it is part of a message bead." I said to Thomas. He had never heard of this magic either and did not have the spirit of his mother helping him in his head the way I did so this meant very little to him. But of course the name of the item went a long way toward explaining its purpose.

"Fomor?" He asked and I merely nodded as I went back to my all knowing source.

"Margaret is there any way I can recover the message that was on this bead?" I asked hoping she knew a trick or two for such things since she understood the magic.

"Not without assembling the entire bead child." She said knowing as I did the rest was either lost to the Raith family sewers or caught in the drain and presently beyond my ability to acquire in the seconds remaining before full sunrise.

"But I still feel some magic in this." I said within my head.

"That is residual only Molly." Margaret replied. "It would be like part of a computer file. Some words perhaps, but not a full message."

"Well that is better than nothing." I said and before Margaret could stop me I touched the shard to my head.

Yeah this is the point in the story where the cute and perky heroine usually does something incredibly reckless and unleashes a trapped demon, or has her soul sucked away from her body. For me I just ended up with another small knick on my forehead to go along with all the other numerous cuts, contusions, and bruises I had acquired this evening. But it was worth it because I did get to see at least a little part of the magic message.

"_Once you have removed Baron Marcone's spy from our midst we shall send the Merchant's agent to transfer the Baron and his forces to oblivion." A rather sinister looking Fomor wizard seemed to be speaking directly at me, but I understood it was just to the gem and its eventual recipient. "In exchange for your rise to power in your family you must also get close to that second resistance group with the Rag Lady... _

Either that was all that was left of the message or the sunrise had completed draining the last of the magic from the shard. Either way all I had was what I had heard.

Thomas looked like he wanted answers but was afraid to speak being so close to Felicia's rooms and unwilling to lead us out just yet until her mind was occupied by other things. I took care of that with a silence spell on the adjoining bathroom door and wall, then a quick second spell to refresh my resistance to Thomas's allure. "She can't hear us now." I explained and Thomas nodded. I noted the racing of his heartbeat in his neck and was thankful that Margaret's spell gave me the courage to resist wanting to go nibble there when there was a bed conveniently so close by as well.

"It was definitely Fomor." I said as I relayed the message verbatim to him. This was a skill Harry had taught me early on. Remembering things exactly was something everyone was capable of but had to train their minds to do. I was certainly gland for the time I committed to this effort because it had come in handy a lot.

Thomas's reaction to my message was pained at first and then reached the point of panic. "Molly are you sure that is exactly what the wizard said? Exactly?"

"Yes, why?" I asked.

"I can't say." He said after a moment but was obviously not pleased by this revelation.

"I could use the question you owe me." I reasoned.

"I'd ask you please not to." His hurt tone actually did what he wanted whereas if he'd been defiant I probably would have asked anyway.

"Alright, then what should I do next?" I asked.

"We." He replied. "We need to go see Marcone and let him know what is coming for him."

"Shouldn't we split up and warn Karrin too?" I asked.

He seemed to consider this for a moment and then shook his head and dismissed it. "No, I definitely need to see Marcone and I am now pretty sure you have to be there too."

"Why me?" I asked.

"I think it is your destiny." He replied. "I wish it was not so, thought from your earlier answer I was wrong in this, but now I am afraid that my greatest fear may be coming true."

"Because of me?" I asked.

"Because of what I saw…see in you…yes." He replied and suddenly a few pieces clicked into place.

"Okay Thomas, if you don't want to answer that other question then I have a different one." I said out of the blue. He said nothing but seemed to wait with resigned patience. "When Harry soulgazed me back when I started as his apprentice he said he saw a dozen or more possible paths my life could take. Some were good, some were evil." I explained but he did not stop me or saying anything as I continued.

"I have made a lot of choices in the years since and a lot more has changed in my world." I felt him tensing up as he knew what was coming; what I was going to ask for. "When you looked at me that day what did YOU see?"

He paused for a long time he looked again into my eyes but could not soulgaze with me again. I saw actual tears forming. "I saw you Molly." He said with a hint of sadness in his eyes. "I saw you as both wizard and warrior fighting for your life, and for your very soul." He explained.

"Who or what was I fighting?" I asked.

"Oblivion."


	7. Chapter 7

**Honor's Debt**

**_Monday _**

**_Chapter 7_**

Thomas had me go back to sleep in the Virgin's Suite's bed as he went to plan our next move and acquire additional resources. The thought of sleeping in any room in this particular house would normally have been impossible, so it was a testament to my exhaustion and injuries that I actually did fall into a fitful slumber for a few hours. Thankfully I was not so far exhausted as to not hear the door slide quietly open.

I did not allow myself to move in response to this unexpected change. This level of alertness was a skill I had acquired over the past few months being on the run. It was useful coming into full consciousness without displaying such to anyone watching me and therefore keeping them off guard. I opened up my mental valves and slowly drew magic into me as I let my senses 'feel' and inform me of what was happening emotionally around me.

I sensed a strong combination of power and lust, the telltale signature of a White Court vampire, though more tightly intertwined rather than competing at odds with each other and far more under control than an average one of their kind displayed. I also sensed a sated feeling that the continual hunger that drove their kind was not the motivating reason for this visit but rather felt a subtle sense of curiosity. Oh and don't let me forget the sense of self-satisfaction and raw lustful power.

"Good morning Lara." I spoke just before opening my eyes to look upon the powerful queen regent of the White Court. Her response to my identification of her without opening my eyes or even being noticeably awake set off yet another mixture of emotions, this time that of respect for my deductive skill of her identity and annoyance at this petty display of my power. Hey I take my little victories where I can get them.

"It is considered a civilized action for ambassadors from allies to present themselves directly to the rulers upon their arrival, not presume status and thereby infringe upon the host's hospitality." She informed me without leaking any actual anger but with a subtle deadly seriousness of tone.

I of course understood her dilemma. Being beneath her roof subtly informed I was under her implicit protection from any of the many who might seek to attack me while I was here. Furthermore, as such, even if I knew this was not a true agreed upon status between us, she would of course be required to defend me from attack here all the same because otherwise it was a demonstration that she lacked sovereignty over her own home.

"It was indicated to me you were otherwise engaged when I arrived." I said in casual response so as to not throw anyone, especially Thomas, under the bus. "Since as an ambassador it was proper for me to await your pleasure when seeking a private audience with the White Queen, Thomas, noting my injuries and exhaustion, offered me reasonable accommodations to rest and recover from my journeys."

"I am sure he did." She said not believing a word of my story. "You now have my undivided attention. Why have you come here?"

"You have heard no doubt about the killing of Marcone's placed spy among the Fodor?" I asked straight up as a means to judge her reaction to my question and also as a means to judge the reliability of Felicia's reporting of our meetings. Straightforward approaches are the most alien to White Court vampires as this is an antithesis to how they plot and scheme even just to order a donut.

"I have. Felicia reported this information immediately upon her return from the war council. It is of course a lie that any of the White Court was responsible for the spy's death; no doubt created to either fragment our already fragile alliance or make me look bad personally." She said tensing at the challenge to her house's honor but not afraid to lay out there that were I to pursue this course too much the alliance would suffer for it. "Understandably therefore I resent the implication. I also have my doubts that a mortal looking at a corpse would be able to tell if my kind were truly responsible as well. They are rather naïve in their understanding of the true world around them."

Lara played that response well. If it was Felicia behind these events she certainly spun the information in Lara's mind to the best advantage and still had her in a tenuous position at the same time. I had to tread lightly for all our sakes in case I was wrong. Lea always said success comes as often by doing something your opponent does not expect as it does by the successful application of force.

"It may surprise you to know I agree in your belief that it is indeed someone trying to further strain our alliance and in the process make you look bad." I said carefully choosing my words. "I am, however, quite certain that the death did display all the hallmarks of a White Court kill as experts were consulted on this issue. Those experts did however also say that there were other beings capable of similar results."

"Are you suggesting then that you know who or what is behind this event?" She asked.

"No, I have nothing to that level of certainty." I said honestly. Knowing would mean I could prove it to Lara without a doubt. Trust me I certainly still had a host of doubts.

"But you obviously have your suspicions." It was a statement from Lara more so than a question showing she understood my words for what they truly said.

"I have a list of suspects as I am certain you do as well with the information Felicia provided you." I said in response, making the corners of her mouth rise in a smile realizing I was not a complete novice at negotiation. It was also a great subtle way to offer suspicion on the completeness of Felicia's reporting; something Lara would have to investigate and therefore a way to keep Felicia looking over her shoulder and not watching me. Lara also understood that a seduction was just a very refined example of the art of negotiation, rather specific in its goal, but a negotiation all the same.

She turned the conversation on a dime in a way that would make Lea proud. "You must be famished my dear." She said warming her smile but not her aura. "Let's talk more over brunch shall we?"

"That would be wonderful but…" I started to object trying to remove myself from this trap.

"Oh of course." She said waving off whatever my objection was going to be which when you are the Queen and the person is in your castle carries the weight of a royal command. "You just woke up and need to refresh yourself. Please enjoy the comforts of my home as if they were your own. The nearest baths are two doors down the hall and you will find it appropriately stocked with a wonderful variety of soaps, oils, shampoos, and the like. I will also have some fresh attire delivered here for your comfort. It is ten now, shall we say noon on the lanai so we can discuss our alliance some more?"

Nice play Lara I thought to myself. You have successfully selected an appropriate way to pump me for information while maintaining a façade of alliance. This type of invitation was not one I could afford to refuse if my purpose truly was to maintain our fragile coalition in the face of Marcone's accusation against her people. And of course when word got to Marcone of my brunch with Lara, it would appear as if Karrin's faction was taking the White Court's side in this matter over his own. But of course since I was trapped I might as well make the best of it.

"That will be just fine." I said. "Thank you for your more than generous hospitality."

"It will undoubtedly be my pleasure." The words were so natural rolling off her perfectly formed lips. She said them in such a way that sent chills of both excitement and danger coursing over my skin. Lara turned away closing the door behind her and I quickly cast another one of Margaret's protection spells on myself. I realized then a girl can never be too careful in a den full of sex-crazed vampires it seems.

Trapped by these events I figured I might as well take Lara up on her offer of a bath and a change of clothes. From a practical standpoint it would also save me finding a Motel Six this week. And in truth there is no honest way to compare Raith Manor to even the highest end hotels when it comes to the more decadent pleasures of the flesh.

The bathroom I had been directed to was larger than the living room in Harry's former apartment and the tiled bathtub had been custom-made to accommodate at least four at the same time and built to resemble a Greek temple to the god Eros it seemed. It was more closely aligned to a Jacuzzi than a bath as it had massage jets lining the walls and seating areas, each individually controlled by knobs that allowed them to be turned on and off as well as modify the direction and the force level of water pressure. There were no electronics involved in these controls making me suspect they had considered a wizard's damaging effects when designing this comfort.

I expected a tub that size to take ten minutes or more to fill with water, but as the White Court are not known for their patience the tub had been designed in such a ways as to fill with near scalding water to the two-thirds level in less than a minute through what must have been a gravity feed system through a dozen or more hidden pipes probably in the columns. I finished undressing and slipped into the water, fiddled with a set of knobs for a moment, and then felt a large portion of the tension and pain in my body melt away in just the first few blissful minutes of watery massage.

It took significant effort on my part not to fall back to sleep, real sleep, right then and there. Instead, to stay awake I indulged myself by flipping through the racks of bath oils and shampoos, noting that oddly enough _Head and Shoulders _was not one of the brand kept readily in stock. Now that I thought of it, I can't say that I ever recalled seeing any White Court vampire with signs of dandruff. That must be a perk of their race.

I also found the side of each bottle of bath oil was color coded to allow guests to select hair products, body lotions, and other treatments whose scent did not clash. Think of this sort of as the decadent version of Geranimals clothing lines for children only I was matching colors in this case not making sure all my clothes came from the giraffe lineup.

I went with chartreuse as my base color for no apparent reason other than it was one I did not recall ever coloring my hair when I lived at home. The offered scent was subtle and of nature, like the dark loam in the shadowy areas of a deep forest. Certainly not something I had been consciously selecting but pleasant enough all the same.

My bath lasted an hour before I found the strength of will to pull myself from its embrace. I cannot say the tub had any specific healing properties but my bruises seemed to have lessened significantly by the end of that time, many fading away it seemed, and certainly the experience leaving me feeling less in pain than I had in a long time. Note to self, I need to get me one of these tubs one day. Maybe at brunch I will ask Lara for the builder's name.

I made it back to my guest room wrapped only in a towel, white of course, and incredibly soft, since I refused to put my blood stained clothes back on. I was expecting to find an outfit or maybe two lying out for me on the bed for me to choose from. Instead there was not only a rollaway rack full of clothing, almost all white of course, but also an elderly female attendant patiently awaiting my arrival. From her dress it appeared she was a resident beautician and probable seamstress from the tools she laid out. Once more, they may be a race evil soul suckers, but you gotta respect beings that understand the more important aspects of life.

"If you would be so kind as to drop the towel my dear so I can get a look at what I have to work with then we can get started." The old woman said without a hint of embarrassment at this suggestion. Of course since she was clothed what would she have to be embarrassed by?

"You understand why in this particular house that idea is not generally a wise one?" I said in response with a bit of a sardonic smile and not showing any fear.

"I do indeed dear." She replied. "But you have nothing to fear from me. I am merely one of the servants hired for my specialty skills; much like the gardener or the chauffer."

I stepped back toward the door, not to flee but to prevent it from opening unexpectedly as I was dressing, and then let the towel drop. True to her word the woman studied me for perhaps two seconds with a critical eye for my form and then turned directly to the rack of clothing and began to sort through the various pieces obviously looking for something in particular.

"Egyptian cotton? No." She said absentmindedly pushing a section of hangers aside. "Chinese silk? No." Another section pushed away. "Greek linen? No." A third went away. "Ah of course." She pulled a dress from the rack and walked it to me.

"What did you choose?" I asked.

"Leather my dear." She said with a smile that seemed too comfortable with the accusation. "The combination of your toned muscles and faint scars tells me your clothing sees more wear and tear than the average person so something a little more durable is required. Of course kid goat leather is still nearly as soft as silk all the same when treated correctly." She said brushing a piece of the dress she carried along the back of my hand as proof. "Try this on for starters."

I held the garment up, noting immediately the lines and the limits of its covering and then looked at the woman skeptically. True I understood it was not like I was going to get a nun's habit in this house, well actually I might and that would be even worse. Still the offering in question would have raised my eyebrows in a Victoria Secret store and certainly cause my mother to faint dead away if she ever saw me wearing it. That thought alone was enough of a reason for me to try it on.

It was a leather dress in name only. It hung from one shoulder barely covering my chest, leaving my midriff exposed except for a sheen of nearly see through silk that left little of the area around my navel to the imagination. The leather bunched just slightly over my hips before splitting down each thigh to reach barely a third of the way from my hips to my knees. Unlike the front, the back was closed off but the material seemed to shape itself to me, almost like a leather version of spandex, that had the strength to support my upper body without my more tradition undergarment requirements.

I went with the accompanying thigh high boots, not so much for modesty, but in part to cover up the still bandaged portion of my leg; my souvenir from my trip to Mexico. Maria, the seamstress's name was Maria, also fixed my hair by braiding it into a loose off center ponytail that lay across my more exposed shoulder. She also added a few hints of makeup, but proclaimed the au natural look I sported was more in line with my features.

I left the room with only five minutes to spare, making my way to the lanai by following the smell of fresh air and found Lara patiently awaiting me with a glass of wine in her hands but seemingly untouched by her lips.

She gave me a judgmental look that only a powerful succubus was capable of rendering. "Respectable." She said nodding her approval at Maria's skill and perhaps my ability not to trip over my own feet in these heels which thankfully against stereotype were not stiletto.

A servant, a shirtless male in white beachcomber pants who looked like he sprang off the cover of a bodice ripping novel, pulled my chair back and waited for me to take a seat. With him standing here I wondered what Lara actually had in mind for brunch. But she did not even seem to notice him; sort of like walking past a Picasso that has hung over your fireplace forever without giving it even a second's glance.

"What would you care to eat my dear?" Lara asked sliding her hand forward to pat mine in a sisterly sort of way. I was glad for Margaret's spell for her touch was still electric.

"Just coffee for me sweet sister." Thomas interrupted with his own answer and appearing from another entrance area to the lanai with a smile on his face that did not reach to his eyes. It was a look of one predator warning another to be mindful of his territory. He joined us at the table and sat down opposite his sister, leaning back on his chain to be out of immediate range of her finely manicured nails.

For all her grace and control a flicker of annoyance flashed across Lara's finely chiseled features and a smoldering of anger flashed in her eyes as she regarded this unexpected and undesired intrusion. "Ah Brother-mine, it is an unexpected delight to find you coming here to join our little discussion of politics and the future of our alliance." Lara said without even a hint of actual happiness in her voice. Her emotions were reading at near rage level and that to me meant Thomas had overstepped himself where the current ruler of the White Court was concerned.

Thomas on the other hand was coldly serious in demeanor, much more so that I had seen him except in life and death situations. It took a moment for Lara's enraged senses to pick up on this as well, but she did soon enough and that calmed her annoyance and replaced it with a sense of curiosity that grew to undeniable intrigue.

"I had heard through house gossip that you were extremely busy off making phone calls and such or I would have extended an invitation to you as well." She followed up now accepting that priorities seemed to have changed. I could only assume 'house gossip' was a polite way of defining the security agents tracking everyone and everything.

"I had to run down some information and it led me to even more questions." He replied cryptically but his emotions seemed, if anything, to get locked down even more.

"Involving family business?" Lara questioned looking directly into his eyes now as she sipped her wine and Thomas stared right back making sure to pass along whatever message I was not meant to hear.

"No." He said. "O'Club business."

Lara literally dropped the fine crystal wineglass she was sipping which of course shattered but she did not give that any notice. Her own emotions suddenly mimicked those of her brother going from the last lingering remains of fiery annoyance to ice cold and calculating.

I thought about the term he had used but it was foreign to me. O'Clubs usually referred to officer's clubs on military installations, and I think I remembered that there was even a nightclub called that here in Chicago, but those answers did not seem to match what was playing out before me. I started to ask for an explanation.

"Be still Molly!" Margaret's voice warned me with a tone of deadly seriousness I had very rarely heard before.

"What is it?" I asked her silently back. "I do not even know what they are talking about."

"I have a strong suspicion you will shortly." She said less than pleased. "Don't follow my examples. This is one of those times child where listening rather than jumping into the heart of things you do not fully understand will serve you the best."

Against my better judgment, and not in the least because of the concern in Margaret's voice, I remained still and said nothing. That matched my two companions who also merely stared at each other for a long drawn out moment; Lara looking for confirmation that her brother was serious and Thomas offering it with half drawn breaths that suggested a deadly seriousness. It was the arrival of the bare-chested waiter with a rolling buffet of meals that moved the conversation along further.

"The food smells wonderful Lara but I wonder if this encounter is not something we should explore in a more private setting?" He said reaching out to place his hand over my arm and caress the exposed skin with his thumb in a well practiced lover's stroke. I felt the electricity of his touch but Margaret's ward against the White Court held the worst of it at bay as his sister made a quick decision.

"Ah you have such impatience brother-mine." She laughed and nodded like an aroused and tempted schoolgirl though her actual emotions did not rise out of the cold depths of Hell they were in. I give her this much, Lara was a talented actress. "Since food is merely a substitute for more enjoyable pastimes I see no reason to settle for that when I can have the real thing."

She turned to her servant. "Derek please ensure the kitchen staff knows the depths of my pleasure at their creation this morning but my brother has provided me an alternative offer that I truly must sample." She said sliding her chair backwards on her own and standing up as Thomas followed her lead and with the barest of pressure on my arm signaled that I should play along and do the same.

Derek merely nodded in response confirming to me Lara selected this servant as eye candy and not for his witty conversation. Glancing at him out of the corner of my eye I had to agree with her tastes however. Screw the American Dental Association and their four out of five dentist's support for Trident gum!

We followed Lara, Thomas casually draping his arm around my shoulder and leaning in as if to nibble on my ear playfully as we walked but whispering instead. "Play along for the lives of the servants and those in security who may be watching." He said then moved back with a smile on his face as I tried to grow a similar one on my own.

"Lives of the servants?" I asked internally.

"Theirs' and quite probably your own as well child if what I think is true." Margaret spoke back cautiously as we wandered the hall toward the far end where an elevator stood.

We reached the elevator and it slid open allowing the three of us to step in. It was a large cargo sized version, though of course luxuriously decorated, its size necessary to accommodate the couch that sat along the back wall whose obvious frequent use was not something I cared to consider. Besides this the elevator still offer sufficient room for almost a dozen more to stand.

Instead of selecting any of the three buttons for higher levels or the one for the basement, Thomas produced a small key from his pocket, he had obviously come prepared to breakfast, and unlocked what had been advertised to be the fireman's override panel but instead concealed another button instead which he pushed without hesitation.

The doors slid closed and the elevator began to descend. Of course I have no way to judge the depth, but I can say we were in that elevator for nearly a minute. The fact that neither of my companions spoke during that ride, and that I followed Margaret's advice and kept my own mouth shut made this an even longer seeming ride.

The doors finally opened again to a passageway of carved and bare stone tunneled into the very bedrock beneath the house. This tunnel led ten feet to an open round chamber beyond what had to be a five foot thick barely curved steel door that looked like it had come from a bunker. As I got closer I could even see a faded sticker that said "Property of U.S. Air Force, 90th Strategic Missile Wing, F. E. Warren AFB, Wyoming." How the hell the White Court had stolen or acquired an actual missile launch control center door I did not want to begin to try and figure out. The fact that it was here was testament enough to this room's importance.

We stepped into the large room beyond and Thomas pulled the door closed while Lara motioned me to take a seat on any of the couches or chairs within. Unlike others in the Raith Mansion these appeared to have seen little or no use.

"Nice panic room you have here Lara." I said admiringly and took a seat in a leather Lazy Boy.

The door boomed shut with a rather definitive echo of finality. Harry would have been sorely tested to blast his way out of that. There was no way I was going to be able to do so.

"It is not a panic room Molly." Thomas said. "We call it the Oblivion Room." Using those words made Lara's face whip around to regard her brother in challenge and anger. For his part, Thomas merely accepted this non-verbal rebuke but stood his ground unflinchingly.

"You dare…?" Lara seemed unable or unwilling to finish off her thought, at least with me here.

For my part, since this was the second time Thomas had used that word I began to piece bits together. Obviously 'oblivion' in this context mean 'Oblivion;' whatever the hell that meant. I did assume though that the previous O'Club reference must also mean Oblivion Club, which really was not much of a help in my understanding of what was going on.

"If what I heard is true then it does not matter." He replied casually to her challenge.

"And if you are wrong?" She asked.

"We will deal with that situation if the time comes." I must admit I did not like the particular tone of that or the fact that both of them took on rather calculating emotional aspects as they said it.

"What games are you playing little brother?" Lara asked finally.

"None." He replied. "In fact I think that Molly may be able to clear up a few issues that we speculated on but have never fully understood." They both turned to look at me as they took seats, together, side-by-side, on the couch directly opposite me. I felt like I was about to get interrogated on an episode of Castle.

For my part I did the smart thing and kept my mouth shut waiting for more information before saying the wrong thing.

"Very good plan child." Margaret's voice confirmed.

Thomas turned to look at his sister. "If you recall Lara the O'Club was tracking that Red Shirt issue for decades in South America but had been unable to do anything about it because the sponsor was on site." He said, the Red Shirt issue immediately evoking memories I'd been happy to not wake up screaming about in a long time.

"Yes but that issue was resolved a few years back." Lara replied obviously confused.

"It was." Thomas agreed. "But we did not do it."

"Yes we did." Lara argued. "The agent closest said the nest had been cleaned up."

"Only after the sponsor and key players departed." Thomas replied. "Since then we have been unable to track any of them."

"We assumed the old one probably died which was likely the final bond the sponsor had." Lara continued. "What does this have to do with bringing this child down here?"

"Because it seems we were wrong in our assumptions." Thomas said. "If what I have heard is true then it seems Molly here may have been the one responsible for those events and that our local watchdog merely performed an after action cleanup."

"This…this…child?" Lara asked barely turning my way but instead waving a dismissive hand in my direction. "I do not believe it."

"What if I can prove it to you?"

"You had better." She replied. "I'd hate to think of the strains to our current local alliances in word got out that she had died here on the property." I did not like the word 'died' since I was obviously the 'she' that Lara was referring to.

"It will not come to that." Thomas said with a new tone of seriousness in his voice.

"It could."

"Not while I live." He replied almost too casually.

That cause his sister to pause. "You would take sides with her against the interests of the family?" Lara asked letting her own sense of hostility creep into her voice.

"Let's just both agree it would be better if I am not forced to ever even have to consider this decision." He replied lightheartedly but with a steel undercurrent in his words.

"And your promises to the other…" She seemed unwilling to name this other person or group but I could tell it was not Justine she was referring to at this time.

"Like I have been trying to explain to you." He replied. "I do not think that those promises apply in this situation. Once Molly tells her tale we can decided accordingly."

"You take great chances little brother." Lara warned.

"I always do." He replied. "That is why you dropped this particular problem in my lap years ago."

Their stare off lasted another ten seconds or so then as one the two turned their heads to regard me. Lara, who tonight it seems will be playing the role of bad cop, remained silent as Thomas began the interrogation.

"Molly?" He said calmly but his emotions showing great stress. "What does the name Nerthus mean to you?"

I was ready to make a snappy, smart-assed answer in reply, Harry had trained me well, but Margaret's voice popped up again in warning.

"Child, now is not the time." She said. "Answer their questions honestly if you value the lives of those you hold dear." If anything she could have said would drive the petulance out of me it was a warning like that.

"More than I care to." I started out with a bit of a stress reliever. "She was a pagan goddess in central Europe long ago." I said as a means of showing some academic knowledge. "I also had the misfortune to run across her a few years ago. I thought I sent her back to the Outer Gates."

I paused to consider this question he had asked for a moment and could not help but respond with one of my own as the two sat is silent shock at my statement. "Why? Is she back?" I hoped not or she would come hunting for a certain perky wizard who had sort of popped her bubble last time.

"No." Thomas said. "She is not back at least as far as I know."

"You and Dresden crossed paths with her and survived the encounter?" Lara asked.

"No, Harry was busy at the time." I said honestly. "I sort of ran into her and some of her underlings on my own. But hey if she is not back then everything worked out just fine, right?"

"I do not believe it…" Lara said with an undisguised look of shock on her face.

"I did not at first either as the details began to emerge." Thomas replied. "But I made a few inquiries to Karrin Murphy and looked up a couple of obituaries and the story I have been able to piece together fits the facts I have and the story she has just offered. There are a few gaps for me but I think what she has said is true."

"Would you two please stop talking about me in the second and third person!" I said with maybe just a hint more annoyance in my voice than was proper for a guest.

"Just a hint?" Margaret's voice asked in shock.

"You can shut up too." I said though mostly joking.

"Molly." Lara let my name roll off her lips as if tasting it for the first time. "I apologize for my family's rudeness but we are unaccustomed to speaking of these types of things in the presence of others." She said as her emotions calmed to nearly non-existent.

"This room was created for the singular purpose of allowing my brother and I the freedom to speak of things others may not hear." She explained patiently but with cold and deadly seriousness. "It creation required an extreme level of secrecy. Once it was completed those beyond the two of us who knew of its existence had to be prevented of ever speaking of it…permanently…and soul-destroying thoroughly."

"Were any of my family or servants to learn or even suspect its existence I would be forced to kill then and anyone they may have revealed this to protect its existence." She finished.

"You cause all those deaths merely for the creation of a secret room?" I asked shocked.

"No Molly." Thomas interrupted. "All those deaths were necessary for a room full of secrets." He responded.

"But now I am here." I said realizing my current danger.

"You are…" Lara replied without intended menace, though menacing all the same for the simplicity of the statement.

I opened up my channels and began to draw in magic and felt…nothing. "Oh shit!" I suddenly realized why the room was round. It was not to make it more structurally sound, or even to fit a former missile door. It was to make this a circle of containment. I had no access to magic and with the clothes I had been given was also obviously not carrying any weapons. I was defenseless with two truly powerful enemies and they knew it.

Great job Molls! I could hear Harry's voice offering me another disapproving shake of his head.

"Stop it!" Thomas interrupted. "Both of you!" His emotions were both calculating and concerned, but for me and not for himself.

"Molly, if you can tell my sister about the events surrounding your encounter with Nerthus then I think we can clear this all up politely once and for all." He said looking me in the eyes since we had no worry of another soulgaze. I also picked up a flickering please of 'please' in their depths. I admit Thomas scared me. But at that moment at least I trusted him.

"Fine." I said and tried to relax by taking a couple of deep breaths. The two took this in stride and when I had calmed enough I began my tale, or a rather abridged version as I had the sense that time was of the essence here and I did not need to elaborate or get sidetracked on unnecessary details to get the key points across.

I explained how Nerthus, disguised as a human, had appeared at Harry's office looking for the city's resident wizard private investigator to find her son. I explained how I had tracked him down and learned of his possible involvement in a murder. I breezed through my battles with golems, though the death of one by playing a fiddle did arouse a chuckle from Thomas. I jumped at last to facing the goddess along with her Red Shirt husband and demi-god child at a local museum.

At this point Lara moved up to the edge of her couch and her aura showed a strong interest in these events. I told her how I had fulfilled the magical contract of Nerthus binding that allowed her to interact on Earth and thus sent her back to the Outer Gates. I then explained that her son killed his father and then I had helped the son kill himself, unintentionally, with a sports bottle of lighter fluid and a spark machine. Just the discussion of those events evoked a memory of the unique smell of burning flesh that I would rather not focus on or encounter again.

"See." Thomas said as my story was drawing to a close. I did not have to speak of the rest of it at least. "That fits perfectly with what we know about Nerthus's sudden departure from South America and why the agent down there was able to close the rest of that operation down." I understood that my story was part of a greater one but obviously the two had details that I did not. So I decided to wait since I really did not have any other option.

"Incredible." Lara said with a hint of awe as she was obviously calculating many alternatives in her mind. What I did get was that as incredible as my story was, she now believed me.

I started to speak but a glance from Thomas kept me silent as we allowed his sister to continue her analysis. I must say it got awfully quiet in that circular stone room for the next five minutes until Lara finally spoke.

"So what is your suggestion?" She said to her brother and once again ignored me as irrelevant to the current discussion.

"Let her join the club." He said without a second of hesitation telling me this is what he was planning all along.

"Impossible she…" Lara dismissed the idea with a wave.

"…She did what those of us in the club were created to do yet few if any of us have ever even attempted." Thomas interrupted. "Her resume is therefore better than yours and mine combined dear sister." He said with a smile as he verbally yanked her chain.

"She is still just a child." Lara said though not with the same level of conviction as her last words.

"She is; which makes me wonder how valuable to our cause she would be with more experience and actually understanding what is going on." He countered having obviously already considered all of Lara's likely arguments for himself.

This did not actually work in Thomas's favor as I could tell from the changes in Lara's emotions that she did not like her younger brother being a step ahead of her. So instead she shut up and started calculating again. Thomas picked up on this as well and seemed to offer a concession.

"There is another aspect to all of this that we need to consider." Thomas offered looking for his sister's input.

"And what would that be?" She replied.

"Molly told me that at last night's meeting of the Alliance that the White Council representative reported something strong had passed through San Francisco, possibly on its way here." He said.

"Yes Felicia reported this to me as well." Lara confirmed.

"What if this is not solely an issue related to the Fomor?" He said. "There are those on the other side who know where you and I stand. This might be a two-for-one event."

The possibility, though I only understood parts of it, made Lara's eyes widen and then her calculations begin once more.

"That might conveniently explain the death of Marcone's spy." Thomas offered showing he knew of that detail as well.

"And my agent in California." She responded. "That is if it really was a message for us."

"Can we afford to assume any less?" Thomas asked. "The Fomor certainly would have the experience for this if they were willing to share the results." He explained confusing me.

"Why would they share?" She asked.

"Because otherwise they figure they might lose once more." He said. "By sharing maybe they think doing so they can prevent this same result from happening to them as well. Gods know we would not be against it if we could pull it off." He said with a laugh of an insider's joke.

"You are not nearly as funny as you think yourself to be dear brother." Lara scolded.

"I found if I laugh at them Lara I keep them from having power over me." He explained.

"Still, you have not made a sufficient case for Ms. Carpenter's involvement merely increasing our own level of alertness." Lara said after another moment of silence and to redirect that conversation since it seemed to come to close to whatever she was trying to protect.

"The case is simple sister." Thomas said. "She is already initiated by fire she merely lacks the knowledge to understand what she is truly into."

"And you think providing her that knowledge makes her more of an asset to our cause than a threat?" Lara asked obviously unconvinced.

"I'd say honestly that coin could land either way." He replied.

"I do not like those kind of odds." She answered.

"Only because you are looking too narrowly as one dice roll Lara." He suggested. "We can explain it to her and have an equal chance of gaining a new ally or…"

""…or a new enemy, yes I know." Lara said.

"No…" Thomas countered. "Or you can lose me as well. We would have to remove the threat she already poses and to do that you have to remove me as well. You are too busy to manage the Court and these other issues at the same time so unless you want to concede your position in the house and become subservient again you would have to give up our long-term interests in the club." He obviously had thought this all out though that did not make Lara any happier for it.

"I could just eliminate you both and replace you with others from the family." She replied as a not so subtle threat.

"True." Thomas agreed but without concern. "But do you truly have so many of our family you can trust implicitly with this knowledge?"

"It seems one less than I thought I had." She replied

"You wound me dear sister." He responded as well.

"No, but I have the desire to."

"Still the decision is yours to make as I work for you in this." He said at last.

Lara paused seeing if Thomas would offer one of his mocking smiles as a sign of triumph for outwitting her but he did not. Instead he merely offered cold, calculating truth that as much as Lara wanted to deny it, she could not. After a moment she accepted this as well.

"I must return to my family duties." She said standing up. "Explain it to her since you believe this is for the best." She walked toward the door without so much as a farewell.

"Thank you Lara." I offered submissively. For some reason I had the sense to say that though I did not know why.

She turned to regard me. "I wonder if your sentiment will remain the same decades from now when you learn what this knowledge has cost you." She said with a hint of sadness. "That is of course if you are lucky enough to survive that long with this knowledge. Personally I doubt you make it a year if our worst fears are confirmed." She opened the door and left, pushing it shut with one hand leaving me alone with Thomas.

Okay, alone with a White Court incubus who could grace the cover of any fashion magazine. Certainly there are worse places to be. But with my magical wards of resistance failing I could not come up with too many.

Thomas solved that with his first question. "What is the Seventh Law of Magic?" He asked in almost the same tone and inflection that Harry did during my instruction.

"Thou Shall Not Seek Beyond The Outer Gates." I replied without a second of hesitation.

"Exactly." He said with a nod and then paused.

"Before I tell you anything more I need a promise from you that you will never speak on this to another person." He said.

"You have it." I replied.

"No." He said. "I need you to swear it. Not on your magic. I want you to swear it on your love for Harry." He said with an obvious wince of emotional pain. Of course that is the part that sucks with a soulgaze is some of your deepest secrets are revealed.

But the fact that Thomas would evoke that particular promise when the memory of his brother dying obviously still hurt him made me understand what was going to be spoken of was just as important.

"I so swear." I said.

"There is a war going on Molly." He began. "A war with beings out of mankind's memories from the past."

"Hello, Fomor, I got it…" I said annoyed that he would take this type of approach with me.

"No, the Fomor are not what I am speaking of." He said. "The beings I am speaking of are shades and shadows of memories of things before mankind could record his thoughts. Horrible things that make the Fomor look like disobedient, spoiled children. Things that are better left forgotten, but that are not willing to let go of our world."

"I don't…" I started but he interrupted.

"Did you ever read H.P. Lovecraft?" He asked.

"Some." I said. "I found it…blurry I guess the word is."

"Then we succeeded." Thomas smiled. "Mr. Lovecraft encountered some of these beings and they tried to use him to get the word out about their existence by warping his mind. We stepped in but we could not kill him as he was under their protection so instead we finished twisting his brain for him and instead of allowing them to pass along a clear vision of their existence, his writing are scattered with barely perceivable truths mixed with insane ramblings of stories."

"But why are these beings trying to send these messages to us?" I asked confused.

"You answered that yourself in your encounter with Nerthus." He replied. "She reported honestly that she required…"

"…the belief of mortal to gain power." I began to understand what was going on here.

"Exactly!" Thomas nodded. "So to prevent that there is a small group of us who work actively to prevent this from happening, to keep these beings beyond the Outer Gates and in…"

"Oblivion." I said now understanding fully. The numbers had to be small because the more that knew of the war the stronger the other side became. Our side could not recruit except maybe to replace numbers lost back to what is defined as an acceptable level. But what to do with say your average perky wizard who inadvertently stumbled on this information?

We sat in silence as he let me consider the implications of what he said. "But how do you silence their efforts?" I asked though I was certain I already knew the answer. "I mean Nerthus is on the internet and in books."

"In the most permanent means possible. When that is not possible we mix fact with lies to cloud the truth and weaken any power this information may provide." He confirmed and we went into a silent mode again.

"And this is what you told Lara I should join with you to help ensure?" I asked.

"Indeed." He replied. "You would not be the first of the White Council to do so. At least two of your members currently perform this task as well. The Merlin and the…"

"…Gatekeeper." I reasoned knowing a little of his role in the Senior Council.

"Indeed." He confirmed. "In fact he serves as the trip wire letting us know when something has come through. But as such he does not get the luxury of hunting them down. That is a job for the rest of us."

"How many of 'us' are there?" I asked.

"Less than two hundred." He said. "In fact between the war with the Red Court and the current battles with the Fomor and others Lara tells me our numbers are significantly less at present."

"And of course if I choose not to join I am a liability as I know of these beings and therefore provide an avenue for their return." I said working that part out.

"That is my sister's concern." He said. "I do not waste any time on such thoughts as I have seen into your soul."

"You have more faith in me than I do." I tried to laugh it off.

"Probably." He agreed. "It is one of those areas you will have to work on if you plan to succeed in this war. The other side can sense such weakness and is all too ready to offer up ways to overcome it. Of course these offers come with a rather hefty price tag for the rest of us."

"Wait." I suddenly jumped to a new subject; being female I am allowed to do this. "You said that from Carlos's report one of them may be here in Chicago?"

"I did." He nodded.

"And that memory shard talked about The Merchant." I replied. "Is this one of those beings?"

"That is what my worry is." He nodded again. "The term fits what we know of one in particular."

"Then we need to get to Marcone fast!" I replied.

"I agree." He said. "Unfortunately he is not so easy to find. His valkyrie also warded him against location spells. So unless you have another idea I am not sure we can find him in time to have a positive effect."

I thought for a moment. "I think I can pull it off but we need to move fast. I also will need something from you."

"Weapons?" He asked. "A car? A helicopter? Whatever you need is yours."

"A donut." I said.


	8. Chapter 8

**Honor's Debt**

**_Monday Afternoon _**

**_Chapter 8_**

With an update on the location of Marcone and his crew from my spymaster Toot, Thomas and I departed Raith Mansion in separate cars. Because of where we were head I soon dropped mine off on a convenient side street in the area of town I could get to easily and then hopped in as a passenger to his car after tossing my bag of goodies in his trunk. I spent the next few minutes trying not to short out anything of value in the car. Let's be fair a modern Ferrari has a lot of electronics, and a solid white convertible one was incredibly rare in any city so it would draw even more unwanted attention if it started smoking. Of course dressed as I was I probably looked like an expensive paid-for seat cover and escort. Hell that was hardly the worst reputation I had since learning magic.

"Are you sure you do not want the helicopter?" He asked me knowing our destination.

"Granted that arrival would probably not stand out much more than this car, but I am not particularly thrilled by the chance of crashing into the ground from a few thousand feet up." I replied think about why wizards rarely chose to fly.

"Molly, you really need to relax more and enjoy life." Thomas scolded playfully.

"After what you now got me involved with?" I asked with only partial mockery. "When will I ever have the time?" I pointed to a sign advertising our destination up ahead as he slalomed the car around a Mayflower moving van obviously looking for a specific address and narrowly avoided a head on collision with a pickup truck pulling a horse trailer.

"At you age I figure you only need about three minutes or so." He countered with a laugh, completely unconcerned how close to dying we were because of his driving.

"Probably true." I agreed through gritted teeth shocking him. "Too bad at your age it takes an hour or more for the Viagra to kick in. Oh look we are here already." I said laughing and pointing to our destination.

Thomas pulled in to the security guarded parking lot, his car obviously marking him as worthy enough to enter this rather exclusive golf course just on the edge of town. Before you ask yes it was one of those private types of course that did discriminate. The owners did not care your color or your religion, but your bank book better have seven or eight digits minimum to the left of the decimal point if you had any hopes of membership here.

I was also fairly sure that if one peeled back the records far enough of the listed owners and dummy corporations John Marcone's name would eventually end up on the top of that list. That was the way John controlled the city. He owned all the track where the big dogs ran.

Being outside of the city limits it was also not on the metro water or sewer system. The course's water hazards were mechanically operated throughout the various fairways much like the way a water park operated by continually pumping the same water around the park. This set up therefore made it impossible for the Fomor to strike at Marcone along their preferred avenues of approach were they to learn of his location. The combination of these factors of course might be part of the reason the decided to contract out for his elimination.

The golf course was as immaculate as one could expect for such a high cost of membership. Wide well kept fairways lined with majestic trees to ruin a golfer's otherwise peaceful outing in nature. They also allowed for relatively well defined fields of fire.

I noted perhaps a dozen or so groups of two to four golfers, all in their late twenties or early thirties rather than the more stereotypical sixty year olds with real bad plaid pants. It seems I had inadvertently stumbled upon the yuppie Mecca of Chicago and was I trolling for a rich husband this would see the place to be. Of course the only golf I had ever played involved not hitting Mickey's windmill when putting so I was certainly outside of my element or experience here.

We exited the car and went straight to the clubhouse where a doorman who did not look like he had achieved a successful bowel movement in more than a month barred our way. He was also the size of a mountain with rather bright red hair, an unnatural amount of which sprouting from his ears.

"Hello Hendricks, is the boss in?" I asked with my most disarming smile possible while Thomas lingered behind me trying to be less obvious that his normal super hot male model sexual vampire persona would allow. Hendricks was one of Marcone's most trusted bodyguards. In fact he would willingly take a bullet for his boss, which was more or less the job description. Of course for Hendricks taking a bullet likely meant absorbing it and spitting it right back out at his attacker. I am not kidding when I say I have seen less intimidating ogres; and brighter ones as well.

"Don't know what you are talking about." He said crossing his arms but not moving from standing directly in front of the pair of screen door that provided access into the club.

"Okay, I will try smaller words." I said opening myself up and drawing in magic. "Boss. Marcone. Inside. Talk. Does this work better for you Tarzan?" I asked getting ready for him to do something hostile and stupid.

"Molly, don't aggravate…" Thomas began to warn me as Hendricks let out a low grumble that probably registered on the Richter scale.

"Aggression on either of our parts is unwarranted and ill advised at this time." Ms. Gard, the other half of Marcone's trusted bodyguards, called out from inside the shaded and air conditioned club. "You can let Ms. Carpenter pass but keep the vampire outside." She directed and Hendricks stepped aside just enough to let me squeeze past him and through the door if I so desired. His cold dead eyes moved away from looking at me and instead settled on Thomas's as a warning not to try to violate Gard's offer.

"Forget it Molly." Thomas said. "They will not trust us or listen to us anyway. Let's put our efforts toward something more worthwhile and forget all about this."

"We are already here." I pointed out. "Besides Ms. Gard is not about to violate the Accords and attack me on her boss's behalf if I came here under a standing alliance are you?" I asked the shadowy shape inside the screen doors that I could not make out because of the bright sunlight around me.

"That is true providing you offer no hostile magic. I can assume you will not be so foolish as to try anything more direct since it is obvious from your attire that you are not concealing weapons." She responded confirming that these clothes were just way too revealing for my tastes.

"Of course." I agreed and scooted by her partner and through the door before Thomas could voice any further arguments. I sensed Hendricks slide back into position as a human barrier once more and Thomas's emotions registered as less than pleased with this turn of events.

As my eyes adjusted from the outside sunshine to the inside shade I looked around the clubhouse noting the top of the line clubs, shoes, and clothing for the discriminating golfer. I had no doubt this place had been featured at some point in Golf Digest, or Better Clubhouses and Putting Ranges, or whatever it was that golfers read about when they chose to dream of one day making it to the big leagues. And now here I was standing in the very midst of this Arnold Palmer dream.

"So tell me Ms. Gard, does your boss actually play or is this just one of his business investment?" I asked when my vision could make out fine details. I also had to look up at her which is pretty unique experience to me as I am very tall for a girl as well.

"He has a two handicap and that alone would allow him to play in the PGA if he so desired." She informed me matter-of-factly. Of course he could probably also buy his way into any tournament but for a guy like Marcone that would be an admission that he was not actually as good as he thought he was. "Normally though he only plays for business or as part of the local fundraiser for children's charities, mostly those sponsored by the Catholic orphanages and such." She explained.

The last comment caught me off guard since I know Father Forthill scheduled one of those in the city each year. Harry had always said Gentleman John Marcone was a complicated character. Ms. Gard's stories merely confirmed it and put me on alert all the more.

She pointed to a rather non-descript, though heavy looking, door marked 'Private.' "He is meeting with a foreign business venture so you will have to wait." She said.

That set my alarms off. "You said foreign?"

"Yes."

"As in Asian perhaps?" I asked.

"In this particular case yes." She said responding now to my sense of nervousness. She was after all an excellent bodyguard.

"Then I am going in now." I replied. "It is possible that your boss may be in great danger."

"You are under the rules of an alliance so may take no hostile action unless provoked." Gard reminded me and I could feel her drawing her own magic as her hand moved toward the short bladed sword strapped across her back.

That was true. It would not be good to cause the issue between our allied factions I was actually trying to prevent; especially since I was not a particularly strong battle wizard to begin with so probably was out of my class anyway. But then a thought struck me. Harry always said it was to your advantage to throw your opponents off balance at the start of an encounter. Letting inspiration be my guide I let go with a quick spell that caused Gard to tense and begin to draw her blade until she realized what I had done and that I was abiding by the wording of the Accords. I turned my back to her, opened the door marked Private and stepped inside just as the police sirens began to sound.

I made sure my steps clicked down in time with the beat of the music, happy to note that the private office was as big as I had suspected. It was the words echoing from everywhere and nowhere once the music and sirens faded that drew the attention of the two people inside.

_Daddy was a cop_

_On the east side of Chicago_

_Back in the USA_

_Back in the bad old days…_

_In the heat of a summer night_

_In the land of the dollar bill_

_When the town of Chicago died_

_And they talk about it still…_

_When a man name John Marcone_

_Tried to make that town his own_

_And he called his gang to war_

_With the forces of the law…_

The use of his name did not evoke a smile on his face though I did sense an emotional snort from Gard who was merely two steps behind me.

_I heard my momma cry_

_I heard her pray the night Chicago died_

_Brother what a night it really was_

_Brother what a fight it really was_

_Glory be…_

_I heard my momma cry_

_I heard her pray the night Chicago died_

_Brother what a night the people saw_

_Brother what a fight the people saw_

_Yes indeed…_

I let the song drift away as I stood right before the desk that John Marcone was sitting behind staring at my approach. He was not smiling at my entrance even after I had gone to all the trouble of changing the name Al Capone to John Marcone in the song. That is not as simple as it may seem, even with magic, but when you are presented with an opportunity like that and a perfect rhyme you take it. Hell, if I recorded it as a modern tribute to Paper Lace it might even get a whole lot of air time again.

Off to his right was an elderly Japanese woman in a flowing kimono sitting patiently on a comfortable looking couch sipping on a cup of tea. There was a look of obvious confusion on her face on what my appearance foretold but that now was less of a concern than the anger brewing in John's aura. Needless to say, despite my concerns the elderly Japanese lady did not seem to be radiating the power of an otherworldly god attempting to destroy Marcone, at least not at this moment. Instead she seemed more like someone's wise old grandmother. Whoops…

"I must offer you my newfound respect Ms. Carpenter." Marcone said through tightly clenched lips when the music had died completely. "Up until this moment I had been under the impression that no one could ever be as annoying to me as your former master Mr. Dresden. You have succeeded in raising that already high bar."

"What can I say?" I asked causally trying to play along. "Harry trained me well."

"You could offer me a reason why I should not kill you right here and now for this breach of protocol if not for merely violating the good manners expected between two allies when one is attending to other business." He countered but before I could respond the old woman spoke up first.

"You were the wizard Harry Dresden's apprentice?" She asked putting down her cup of tea and standing up from the couch to come forward and measure me up. I have to also say her standing up did not change the angle that I was forced to look down toward her by much. She could not be five feet standing straight and tall and her age did not seem to let her even do that so she was significantly shorter still.

"I am…was…" I said stumbling over my words. "How did you know Harry?" I asked.

"He performed a service for my grandson not so many years ago." She answered which of course said nothing and everything. Harry performed tons of services for people. It is what he did. But at the same point it was unlikely I was going to know anything about it either.

The woman turned to regard Marcone. "As Mr. Dresden once showed my family kindness Mr. Marcone I would take it as a personal favor if you would not kill his apprentice for her rash actions this day." She asked him in that traditional Oriental show of respect that westerners just did not have.

"Favor?" He replied.

"And with a five percent discount for the next shipment as a bonus." She replied.

"Done." He agreed without hesitation.

"Then our business is now concluded and I must see about other issues and concerns to my family." She said and then turned back to me. "My dear I am staying at the Japanese consulate compound here in the city for the next few days attending to other business. I would find it a great honor to have your company for dinner to talk of me about the kind of man Mr. Dresden was and what he cared about. Would tomorrow night be acceptable for you?"

"Ummm… sure." I said not knowing what else to do in this unexpected situation.

"Very good." She replied. "Regrettably it will be a formal Japanese affair so traditional clothing shall be required. May you do me the honor to allow me to send you something appropriate for wearing at this occasion to your home?" She asked.

I caught Marcone nod ever so slightly out of the corner of my eye. "That would be very appreciated." I said in response. I suddenly realized I did not have a home to have her send it to.

Luckily for me Marcone was on it. "Ms. Gard can you see Madame Yukihyou to her car and provide her with Ms. Murphy's address as a place to send her package. I assume that destination is sufficient for your needs Ms. Carpenter?"

"It is." I said still somewhat overcome by these fast moving events that the others were all more apt to operate within.

"Excellent." She said patting my hand in a rather grandmotherly way. "I look forward to learning much about your master. From what little I have heard he seems a most interesting man."

"If you only knew…" Oddly enough both Marcone and I said those words at the exact same time causing the elderly woman's eyebrow to raise as she looked from me to him and back before she smiled.

"I hope to…" She said knowingly.

She turned and Ms. Gard offered her arm which she took and shambled slowly out the door allowing it to close behind her and leaving me alone with the most dangerous mortal man I knew of. I turned to regard him and found him already regarding me.

"She seems like a nice old lady John." I said very surprised considering that he was a crime boss and all. "I cannot imagine what the two of you could possibly have in common."

"She is." He agreed. "She is also the leader of the strongest Yakuza family in Japan; a family who is now my current supplier of raw opium. I might also add that thanks to your untimely arrival I will now save over a million dollars on for my next shipment by accepting this as a personal favor to her. If you ever wonder what your life is worth now you have a true basis."

"You and her are bringing in drugs to…" I started a little fit of indignation at who I was forced to ally myself with but he cut me off.

"My business ventures are the source of my capital for our ongoing war efforts." He said. "I do not force anyone to become my customer in this nor do I allow my agents and dealers to sell to or employ children. Do not begin to judge my methods for helping secure this city while your friend Murphy sits on the sidelines instead of bringing the full weight of the government into our fight as she should be doing."

Wow. That little speech made without even a hint of a raised voice of indignation was enough to set me back on my heels. Before I could respond or even come up with a response he moved on.

"I assume there is a reason for your presence here other than to irritate me?" He asked.

"In fact I do." I said as my eyes went to the bank of monitors along the wall behind Marcone that rotated through varying camera shots and seemed to monitor every hole on the course from a variety of angles. "Nice set up." I remarked nodding to his electronic security system as I observed on the one set up right for the parking lot as Ms. Gard led Ms. Yukihyou to a waiting towncar and stood to watch as it drove away.

"I would request that you please stay back from it if you also possess Mr. Dresden's unfortunate affect on electronics." He said casually while studying me. "Now if you are done admiring the toys can we finish this business that brought you here uninvited so I can get on to other more important things?"

"Fine." I said looking down at him. "I came here to inform you that the Fomor are planning to kill you." I said trying to shock him with a rather blunt, straight from the hip comment.

"I know this already." He said mildly annoyed. "That was part of the rather useful information my spy was feeding me before the White Court agent silenced him."

"Great, but do you know they also contracted out for this job?" I asked a bit peeved that his information was that good.

"I do." He replied with a little more annoyance showing in his emotions. "My sources say that there has been a sudden upsurge in the hiring of highly trained mercenaries and that the few they were able to track seemed to be making their way to Chicago. Since I did not hire them, Officer Murphy would not hire them, and the White Court only wants to hire playthings, I can only assume they were brought here for us, or most likely for me." He deduced with a rather satisfied air.

Human mercenaries of course were not what I had been talking about though this was a bit of data I was annoyed to only be learning of now. It was going to make our job here bad. However, what was coming for John was something a whole lot worse.

"If that is all Ms. Carpenter…" He said turning away from me to some papers on his desk.

"It's not…" I began but was interrupted by a electronic blaring voice louder than ours.

"Security breach detected to the northwest." A hidden speaker notified us and Marcone ignored me and turned his chair around to look at the monitors as the security team tuned in those closest to the event. On one there was a momentary flicker of branches moving then the camera picture died and went right to static.

"I didn't do that." I proclaimed my innocence and hoping my rising excitement had not been responsible.

"No Ms. Carpenter you did not." Marcone confirmed as the pictures on more cameras began to swivel and take up new directions along the path of approach. "That loss was no doubt from a well placed bullet." He said with a voice of experience.

As if by magic, two more of the monitor pictures suddenly disappeared as well immediately after his explanation and were also replaced by static on the screens. Marcone seemed to be unconcerned by this obvious attack and instead pushed a button on his desk and spoke in a calm voice.

"Security how many are out there?" He asked nonchalantly.

"Vibration sensors are picking up a dozen attackers coming in from the northwest. Nothing else has approached the perimeter at any other point sir." The voice reported for the security center was equally calm.

"Amateurs." Marcone said shaking his head as he pressed the transmit button again. "Deploy to repel." He then pushed a different button on the desk. "Mr. Hendericks and Ms. Gard I would appreciate it if you would be so kind as to escort the vampire inside so he is not inadvertently injured by a bullet. Please keep him from entering my office all the same." He released that button and turned back to look at the monitors while ignoring me.

"Are we just going to sit here and watch the show?" I asked Marcone, surprised by his total lack of concern.

"Why yes indeed that is exactly what we are going to do." He replied. "I pay good money for my security so it is important that I understand the quality of the product I am purchasing."

"Even though it is obvious where you are hiding?" I asked.

"Ms. Carpenter, this facility has two separate layers of concrete block with a four inch layer or Kevlar and a one inch layer of steel plate pressed between them. The windows are bullet and shatter resistant as well." He informed me with a sense of satisfaction in his purchases. "It will take more firepower than what those mercenaries are carrying to get close to injuring us unless they are carrying satchel charges. And I have my own security to ensure they do not get that close."

I had to admit there is something fundamentally attractive about a man so much in control. Don't get me wrong, I did not find the crime lord particularly alluring as a human being even if he was physically attractive, wielded more power than most, and undeniably knew how to dress well. But I had little doubt that it was the sense of confidence that emitted from his very pores that had women's eyes turning wherever he went. Just for safety sake I dropped another of Margaret's lust resistance spells on myself and turned to give the monitors my full attention also.

I immediately noticed I had been wrong in my earlier assumptions when we arrived. All those young, fit golfers were not Chicago's finest yuppies out for a day of sport and leisure. They were merely camouflage costumes for Marcone's security detail.

At the sounding of the alarm the 'golfers' all dropped their clubs and pulled a variety of automatic weapons, both rifles and shotguns, from out of concealment in their golf bags. I knew the PGA limited the number of clubs a golfer was allowed to carry on a course, so this made me wonder what their view was on the Second Amendment issues as it relates to putting.

The advantage the defenders had was the security monitoring team letting the armed guards know where the enemy was coming from and how soon they would get there. This allowed defenders the time to take up positions of cover and crossfire as they waited. Sand bunkers were the refuge of choice for these trained men and women and within seconds of the enemy reaching the tree line a firefight erupted from these makeshift trenches. It looked like Marcone was correct, the attacking mercenaries were not likely to get close enough to offer any real danger to him.

A flicker of movement from the widescreen parking lot camera still on display off in the upper left monitor caught my attention. It was the Mayflower moving van Thomas had swerved around that had been parked out front one of the closer homes looking quite natural. That was until now when it raised its trailer door to reveal something rather nasty looking inside.

"Hey John, by any chance did you happen to kill the builders and architects who made this place for you?" I asked with a oncoming sense of worry creeping into my voice.

"Of course I did not." He said annoyed at the though. "I am not that paranoid. Why do you ask?" He looked to me and then turned to where I was looking.

"Well in the future maybe you should be." I thought of what Lara said about the creation of the Oblivion room and accepted there was an evil practicality involved in these decisions. Not that I ever intended to follow the Evil Overlord path myself, but it did make a strange sort of sense. "It looks like one of them might have turned over the designs. That thing pointing our way looks extremely nasty!" I said indicating the rather intimidating multi-barrel gun that was now swiveling in the direction of the golf course.

"You may have a point Ms. Carpenter." Marcone agreed as his hand reached for the intercom button to alert his forces to the new threat. "That I believe is a thirty millimeter Gatling gun used normally by the Air Force to kill tanks with depleted uranium shells." He pressed the button just as that particular screen lit up in a blinding flash of light that nearly white out the screen as the gun began to fire.

Marcone's security force may have been well covered and positioned to repel the attack from the northwest, but this left them mostly exposed to the fury of fire erupting from the moving van behind them. In seconds a line of rounds that looked like horizontal lightning traced across the major resistance points on the golf course, in most cases causing an explosion of blood spray that I did not care to think too much about, and at the other extreme at least making the defenders stop firing and hunker down.

The noise was also incredible, like a chainsaw on overdrive, and I noticed quickly that the volume level was growing and not merely because it was coming straight through the speakers.

"Ummm John…" I said as I worked out the three dimensional layout in my mind.

"Hendricks there is a…" Marcone ignored me as the distinctive sounds of wood and concrete being chewed up began to echo even louder still confirming my analysis.

"MARCONE!" I reached forward with my right hand and grabbed him as I fell to my back and pulled him down right on top of me tossing up a magical shield with my left. The bullets made specifically to shred the heaviest tank's armor tore through Marcone's reinforced walls just as easily and I knew they would tear though my shield like paper if I tried to use its magical force to directly block them.

So instead I pulled the two of us down flat on the ground as flat as I could in this situation and angled my shield with a deflection as low as possible, creating a magical condition no higher than the small wooden ramps my brothers made for their bicycles and skateboards from my dad's discarded scrap wood when we were growing up. Thankfully this shallow of an angle caused the few rounds that came in this low to ricochet up and away from us though they probably went right through the inner wall as well though I could not turn and see. I only hoped Thomas had the good sense to duck in time also.

Surprisingly the line of fire never quite reached the wall of monitors, coming close but then pulling back to rake the room again lower this time in an obvious search for the occupants if they had gone to ground. From our angle on the floor I was able to still see the upper left monitor and that the blinding light from the auto fire did not seem to be lessening in the least. That to me was not particularly encouraging news.

"How many rounds can that damn things shoot?" I screamed as the bullets bounced off my shields again before moving on.

"A few thousand is all a plane is able to carry." Marcone shouted back in my ear while still lying atop me. "Of course I doubt the moving van has the same limitations on space for ammo storage."

"You are just full of great news!" I said as one three foot section of outer wall just collapsed or evaporated under the steady stream of bullets. This caused a brightening the room, as did almost every round, but did not making me feel any safer for it.

"Can you see Hendricks?" Marcone shouted in my ear. I was not letting him lift his head to look at the monitors since the shield was only running an inch or so above our bodies. Thankfully he chose not to fight me on this issue or something rather unfortunate would likely occur to the city's most important crime boss.

My eyes flickered toward the monitors but other than the gunfire there were no signs of movement. "No." I screamed back as the bullets turned once more and starting coming our way for a third time. Not only was this getting old quickly but this line was even lower still and would test my shields to the limits so I did not need the distractions. "He must be still in the next room. Now shut up and let me concentrate!"

Even under fire in a life and death situation Marcone bristled under my reprimand but at least he had the good sense to follow orders. This allowed me the ability to concentrate and pour everything I had magically into strengthening my shield as the line of fire drew closer.

But even though I was doing all I could I knew deep down it was not going to be enough. I doubt Harry had the power to resist this level of gunfire and he was far better at battle magic than I was. But I resigned myself to holding out as best I could and was closing my eyes to concentrate further when a flicker of movement on the same monitor caught my eye.

When I tried to focus on it the image was gone, consumed in the blinding flash, though my mind's eye left me with two fleeting impressions. First the object had been white or at least very reflective from the flaming bursts of fire still erupting from the Gatling gun. Second the movement seemed very feline-like in nature.

As the bullets nearly reached us I sensed the all too familiar feeling of a powerful spell being released from the direction of the moving van which within a second also shorted out the wall of monitors making me unable to see who or what may have cast it. I could tell though that the magic was sensory-based like mine, but I had no idea what the effect was; well at least not at first. What I did note, however, is whatever the spell did do was enough to stop the line of gunfire just shy of reaching and shredding my shield and for that result I was extremely happy.

Marcone noted it too and immediately lifted his head just enough to look at me. He had a strange glaze in his eyes, one I had not witnessed before that looked odd on him and at first I wondered if perhaps he had been wounded and was bleeding out and going to die right here on top of me. But his eyes remained half closed and he spoke, too softly for me to actually hear since both of us were deafened at the moment with the last echoes from the attack. But I could still read his lips and understand his words all the same as they were all too familiar for me.

"Ms. Carpenter…" He said and then his eyes softened even more. "Molly…"

And with that he lowered his lips to mine and began to kiss me!

HOLY CRAP!

What the hell was going on?

He had me more of less pinned underneath him and was making out with me like we were in the backseat of a car on my fifteenth birthday! No I do not plan to give you any more details about that either. It was just a point of reference.

I struggled to push him off but he was rather insistent in his advances, though not violently so, and I was more than a little exhausted from what had just happened. I also had no more magic at this second to release and use to push him away from me as Harry could have.

Worst of all, and I truly hate to admit this, he was a damn good kisser!

That is not to say I was truly enjoying it. I am merely providing you an objective assessment of the situation because I know there are some of you who will otherwise wonder about this. So it was for a combination of all of these reasons that five seconds after the gunfire stopped and Thomas came through the remains of the door why he found me in this rather awkward position and made me feel like I had been caught by my father.

"Molly I…" He said in a near panic and I could sense his emotions as they changed from ones of fear and dread to complete confusion at what he was observing. Not a little feat considering he was a White Court vampire an all so this was probably a fairly common situation for him to walk in on.

"…Um I hope I am not interrupting…" He was really confused and less than pleased as well. My god he is just like my dad!

Marcone broke away long enough to look at him. "You are!" He said and turned back to me with an obvious intent to continue on rounding first base and heading for second.

"Are not!" I screamed. "Help!" Yeah I know I am the all powerful Rag Lady to the Fomor, but they never had me pinned in a lip lock!

Thomas was there in a flash and lifted Marcone off of me rather easily though the crime lord struggled against this imposed separation. He turned to look at Thomas and that same glaze stared out of his eyes. "You know for a vampire you are fairly attractive…" The crime boss said.

"Oh I really don't think so." Thomas replied before striking Marcone on the side of the head and rendering him senseless and weak. He dropped him to the floor and then pulled me to my feet and back out to the front of the pro shop. I noted at this point that Ms. Gard and Hendricks were also engaged in romantic activities and we had to gingerly step around them though I did pick up Hendricks's revolver that was lying on the floor next to him. He seemed to have other things on his mind at the moment so it was not like he was going to miss it or anything.

"What the hell is going on?" Thomas asked confused by all of this. "I understand a zest for surviving a life and death situation but…"

"Some sort of lust spell I guess." I said. "Why weren't you affected?" I asked.

"That is obviously because I am a creature of lust." He said in response. "That magic is wasted on me and would be like a fire spell trying to burn a fire elemental. What about you though? Why are you not caught in its embrace" He asked.

"Probably because I am a sensitive wizard so I have better resistances to this type of magic than others do." I lied happy that I had cast Margaret's lust protection spell not so long before. The answer seemed believable enough to him at least to not get into a magical theory discussion right here and now.

"Okay then, what should we do?" He asked.

"There were a dozen or more mercenaries coming in from the tree line to the northwest. They are likely down and similarly engaged as well but once this spell wears off they will still be armed and dangerous." I explained from what I had heard. "Go disarm them at least so they can't offer us too much more trouble."

"Okay." He agreed. "What are you going to do?" He asked.

"I am going to make sure the Gatling gun is out of commission once and for all." I explained as we made it to the door and immediately split up. Thomas had the further distance to go but was supernaturally fast so he would get there first.

That did not particularly bother me. Besides I had to make a detour to his car, which had somehow miraculously stayed free of the line of gunfire, and collect my bag of goodies. My painful lesson from last night was not going to be easily forgotten if I had any say in it.

I grabbed my backpack and made a rapid roundabout path to the moving van making sure to stay out of the line of fire from that gun if the lust spell suddenly dissipated. I also pulled in more magic while on the run, not a lot and certainly nowhere near my fill, but more than enough for what I planned on the way.

When I reached the side of the van I pulled a smoke canister from my pack, one of the half dozen Karrin had given me from her friends on the police force for crowd control, and set it off behind the back of the truck. I would have liked a teargas canister but she kept the few she had acquired for herself and at the time I figured she probably would need them more than I did. Of course I had not planned on facing a tank killer back then.

I then released my spell and made a mirror image illusion of myself appear looking in on the other side of the trailer while my senses scanned for any sense of magic or emotion radiating from within. I sensed neither, which is not a particularly reassuring feeling since there are a whole host of really bad things whose powers was beyond mine to sense anyway. On the bright side no gunfire erupted at my illusion so I was probably safe. I juggled that idea in my mind for a few moments.

"Oh the hell with it." I though and spun around the other side of the trailer with Hendricks's gun pointed in front of me looking for movement in the smoky trailer. There was nothing moving and the sudden wash of odor that combined coppery blood and emptied bowels was more than enough to inform me that I was unlikely to need the weapon.

I carefully started to climb up into the trailer and immediately where I put my hand down I felt a warm stickiness on the tip of one finger that I knew at once to be blood. So instead of climbing in further I backed up and decided to play this one like Harry would in my shoes.

"_Ventas reductas!"_ I commanded and a small gust of wind blew into the trailer pushing out the smoke and exposing what was left of everything that had been inside.

Before becoming a wizard I used to love going to horror movies and especially those of the slasher variety. Now that I have gotten to witness these types of events far too often in real life I find that I have an overwhelming preference for Disney movies. The scene in the back of the trailer was part of the former not the latter.

There had been three men in the back; at least that is what I could make out from what was left of them. Two of the men had been shredded whole. When I say shredded what had happened to Marcone's guards on the video monitors when the line of Gatling gunfire had struck them was mild by comparison. These two had been savagely ripped apart and in only a matter of seconds as the blood sprayed from their corpses was still body temperature warm as it dripped now from the ceiling.

The third man had been left whole though he was gone too and his dead eyes stared out with a look of obvious horror beyond reason. I could only assume that watching what happened to the others had been too much for his mind to accept and it killed him.

I realized right then and there that there was no way this story was not going to break somehow on the news, even if Marcone tried to bury it because of his involvement. There was way too much evidence lying around. The gunfire had probably been heard a mile or more away. The golf course looked like a tornado had touched down. And there were going to be too many bodies to hide quickly. The best we could do is not be here when the press and the law descended which would probably be within the next five minutes. I had to get Thomas, Marcone, Hendricks, and Gard out of here immediately. But first I had one last task to perform.

Something Lea had taught me poked to the forefront of my mind. "Never waste an opportunity Molly!" She had said anytime I hesitated or showed the slightest sign of weakness usually right before hitting me with something rather hard and painful as well.

I reached into a side pouch of my backpack and pulled forth a small rag of cloth and tossed it in the back of the moving van. The Fomor and whoever had hired the mercenaries would no doubt hear about this incident and that it failed. I figured it could not hurt it they thought the Rag Lady had screwed them over again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Honor's Debt**

_**Monday Afternoon **_

_**Chapter 9**_

I smudged the fingerprints I had inadvertently left in the blood drips and grabbed the expended smoke grenade, figuring there was no reason to leave too much evidence of my presence at the scene for the police. I then turned and raced back to the clubhouse just as Thomas was returning without any weapons as I had been expecting him to have but holding something else entirely cupped in the palms of his hands. The fact that his aura was reading fairly grim made me suspicious of what level of neutralization of the attackers he had performed out there.

"It looks like the price offered on Marcone's head is pretty high." He said tipping his hands so I could see the glint of gold coins. "Each of the attackers was carrying two of these."

I looked close enough to realize they were gold double eagles, a twenty dollar coin when originally issued but worth more than ten thousand apiece today. Don't get me wrong, I am not a coin nerd. I just happened to have some history with somewhat rare gold coins and so I learned a little bit along the way; most notably that these were common tender for magical beings who were paying mortals to do their dirty work. That was certainly not an encouraging sign even if it was more circumstantial evidence of the true level of problem we in our alliance were facing.

"It is often said that a person's enemies can provide the best assessment of someone's value. Nice to know I am respected that much." Marcone said coming out of the clubhouse door beside us with Hendricks and Gard right behind him. The only signs of remaining effects from the earlier magical lust spell were a lingering sense of embarrassment from the two professional bodyguards and perhaps just a whiff of the same from Marcone who avoided looking directly at me and seemed to be expecting Thomas to offer him first choice on the coins.

"My guess is that after this fiasco the price just went up so that should make you happy." Thomas replied handing the coins over to me by dropping them in my bag to purposely not give them to Marcone.

"I do not plan to stick around and find out. I would suggest for the sake of our alliance that you follow that advice yourselves." He replied and then he turned to his ogre assistant. "Hendricks where is that helicopter?"

"It is one minute out Mr. Marcone." The big man replied and as if on cue I began to hear the telltale whomp whomp whomp of a helicopter's rotors coming ever closer from out over the golf course. I had once heard a pilot joke that these machines do not actually fly, they merely beat the air into submission and had to agree they sounded as if that were true.

But thinking of beating and the alliance I latched on to what Marcone was saying and realized the implications. "Marcone I am coming with you." I said without really considering my words or how I presented them.

"No you are not Molly!" Thomas said rather protectively only an instant before I was certain Marcone was going to find similar words to reject my declaration as well. But the fact that the White Court vampire was against the idea seemed to register in Marcone's mind and perhaps as a response to the coins, or the conflict between these two allied camps he chose to delay that answer and at least play along as the helicopter came closer.

"Why do you believe this is in my interest Ms. Carpenter?" He asked. "Certainly your friend can help you escape this situation just fine, and if not I have it on rather good authority that you are resourceful enough, or perhaps the more correct term is unconstrained enough, not to let a few officers of the law deter you from evading repercussions."

Ouch! Being called 'unconstrained' by the city's most notorious gangster whose body count certainly was higher than my own was a rather dubious honor that I was less than pleased to have. The next thing you know he will be challenging my business integrity or something. But I shuffled that aside and turned instead to more immediate concerns than my reputation in a mob boss's eyes.

"I would say because we never got around to finishing our discussion about what is after you John." I said in quick response as the noise from the helicopter was getting loud.

"What the hell were you doing in there then Molly?" Thomas asked in a tone that sounded all too much like Harry and almost made me blush. Okay so a murdering gangster is questioning my respect for human life and a succubus is questioning whether I am easy? This is almost some bad Alice in Wonderland dream!

"You are not helping here!" I said quickly to him and more than a little annoyed as the helicopter came over the trees and began to toss leaves around with its downwash.

"I was not actually trying to be helpfully Molly." He replied not backing down.

"Well then try!" I responded right back. "Actually you can do something even better still. You can get to Murphy and informer her of what we know, think we know, and what has just happened so she can take precautions too and I will go with Marcone and bring him up to speed."

It was obvious from the look that I got in response that Thomas was not particularly thrilled with this plan, but he had nothing better to offer either since the bad guys obviously were resourceful. This fact finally resigned himself to my directed course of action. "Alright but you be careful and stay out of trouble." He said not actually looking at me but instead at Marcone and company and a completely obvious threat before turning and running to his car as the sounds from approaching sirens began to wail even louder than the rotors on the landing helicopter.

I turned to look at Marcone and he had his calm and detached look of control plastered on his face once more. "I have not agreed to providing you a ride Ms. Carpenter." He pointed out in his supremely confident alpha male tone. "At worst I find your presence a liability I do not require, especially in a potential hostile situation…"

"In that you are wrong sir." Ms. Gard broke in openly defying her employer. "In a previous age she would have been accounted worthy the title of Shield Maid and fought alongside men in defense of home if attacked and had she survived she would been honored to temporarily join the sisters of Valkyrie and fly her loved ones to Valhalla. Few others exist today, male or female, that are worthy of such honors." Her tone was that of respectful disagreement with her employer and left me nearly blushing from this praise.

"Are you are finished with this commercial endorsement?" Marcone asked Gard who said nothing further and then he turned back to me. "There is also the detail of your presence here today. I must admit it seems a little too convenient aligning with this attack to take you into my confidences Ms. Carpenter." He finished.

"You know mercenaries are not my thing John. I don't have others do my dirty work like some do." I replied walking toward the helicopter as the trio held their ground awaiting his final decision. "Besides think of what it would do to your image if I let it out you did not even offer me cab fare after our romantic fling in your office?" I smiled at him which he did not choose reflect or respond to outwardly. Ms. Gard's eyebrow raised about half an inch which for her probably was the equivalent of a full out belly chuckle at her boss's expense. Thankfully he did not see it as his emotions smoldered even hotter and not in a good memory type of way.

"Truly you are your master's apprentice." He said leaving me to understand he was not speaking of magical skills but rather snarky responses and being annoying. "Take a seat on the far side if you please. And I would appreciate it as well if you could try not to cause this craft to fall out of the sky." That last was not a problem for me to agree to. The thought of Charity's little girl splattered on a sidewalk from a fall of a few thousand feet was not a particularly pleasant image.

I sat in the seat I was directed to which happened to be right next to the sliding cargo door. I guess John figured if I was too much of a problem he could always just open it up and toss me out. But since this was my first ride in a helicopter I was not going to let that image ruin the experience for me. Instead I tightened down my emotions, put on the headset with microphone that was sitting on the arm of the seat for me and was happy thirty seconds or so later to feel us lift off the ground without any telltale signs of smoke or alarms going off. The first police car was just arriving on the scene and I felt obliged to wave to the officer who sat staring dumbfounded at the helicopter without any visible identity markings.

"Take us to my office downtown." I heard Marcone' voice come through the headset to the pilot on channel one and immediately the helicopter whipped around as the pilot acknowledged the command. I looked and saw John flip a switch that clicked in my ears. "We are not on a private circuit from the pilot Ms. Carpenter so you may speak freely and preferably immediately.

"I will give you this John you really do know how to show a girl an exciting time." I said as my gaze left the window and came back to the others.

"If you are done with the high school banter perhaps you can provide me something insightful as you indicated." He prompted one last time.

"Fine." I agreed deciding although it was fun to push his buttons, we had probably reached the limit on this for today. "It looks like your hunch was right. You spy was killed either by a White Court vampire or something pretty similar in nature." I said making sure to start from the beginning of the story so there was not confusion later.

"I already know this." He said without having to say that I was wasting his time.

"I wanted you to know that I know and believe this as well because I checked up on it with Butters and he confirmed the data." I began my review. "So with this knowledge I went to see the White Court to try and figure out why this had happened."

"Obviously they are betraying our little alliance." He said dismissing any other possibility. "As I stated earlier the Raiths have experience with hiring mercenaries, though they lean toward the attractive rather than the competent. I would suggest they most likely got a better offer from the Fomor, weighed the chances of survival sticking with us and found that lacking, and now are trying to hold up their end of the bargain by eliminating the Chicago resistance from the inside."

"It is not a sanctioned action John." I explained. "If it is White Court then the one responsible is acting rogue and doing so not specifically because they hate you but more so to remove Lara from her position by showing the other families she does not have control."

"Assuming I were to believe you and I am merely the means to that end, that still changes nothing." Marcone replied. "I also assume you do not know in fact the identity of this traitor which makes the all other Raiths, even your slave to fashion chauffer suspect does it not?" He asked showing that he did not share my admiration or loyalty to Thomas.

"I can say with certainty it is not Thomas behind the killing." I said dismissing the idea. "He wants to get away from the Court not to assume more power within it."

"A convenient story that may be true, but still it does not change the fact that they have someone on the inside working against our shared interests. That makes them a liability to our alliance." He said. "And beyond that little fact you still have not offered me even the slightest bit of new information as your promised Ms. Carpenter."

"Okay then let me offer you two." I said getting a little annoyed and feeling static build up in my earphones in obvious response. Calm down Molly it is not worth destroying a helicopter over.

"Please do so."

"First…" I paused and got myself under control. "It appears whoever in the Fomor side is pulling the strings against our little alliance have also decided to order off the menu where you are concerned." I said. "I have my own source and have learned they called in some sort of heavyweight magical power to deal with you himself or herself. I would guess Ms. Gard would know what to look for or how to at least boost your security for this type of threat but I suggest that you keep this in mind."

Marcone considered this for a moment and looked at his pair of bodyguards. They probably represented the closest thing he likely had to people he actually trusted. I noted Gard dip her head very slightly agreeing to whatever message passed between her and her boss that I had missed. Maybe she was judging my honesty. Who knows? Marcone then turned his attention fully back upon me.

"Your information expands upon what my own spy had hinted at before he was killed. I thank you for providing this additional insight even if it is still a bit vague for being actionable." Marcone replied after a moment. "Still it is enough so I will put additional resources on learning more of what I can about this being and shall inform the rest of our compatriots when I have results."

"No!" I said rather forcefully which may have caused the helicopter to buck, though that might have just been well-timed turbulence. The problem with Marcone's plan is that if this being was Oblivion-related then having a bunch of his agents doing research would give this being all that much more power when they learned who or what he or she was. Not being known limited its power. But of course that is not something easy to explain. So I did what I always do; I bent the truth a bit.

"My source tells me this being is like some of the powers on the Faerie Courts and just speaking his or her name aloud can draw more attention to us, which means of course right to you. Think of all it might learn from those doing research while you will get at best an identity." I explained a worst case scenario. "This takes a rather specialized touch so I would refer it to those in your employ like Ms. Gard here who are unlikely to trip over this type of trap by mistake, or worse for you, intentionally. Subtle equals success." I said preparing my next point.

The helicopter made a sudden hard right turn and by quickly glancing out the windows I could see we were navigating through the older section of town, and by through I mean literally below the level of the tops of the nearby buildings. The pilot must be keeping us from being easily tracked by radar or eyesight of law enforcement to get us to our destination relatively undetected. With flying skills and foresight like this I bet Marcone's pilot had a hell of an interesting resume.

I turned back to look at Marcone. "Before you cast any more dispersion I also am now certain that like the White Court your own forces have been infiltrated at a fairly high level by our enemies as well." I said and then the helicopter jerked back even harder to the right. What the Hell is going on with the controls? Hey I am being as unemotional and unattached here as I can! Dammit I am almost to guy level in this respect, what more can you expect of me?

"I assume you can prove this allegation?" Marcone said without hiding his disbelief of my accusation.

"Open your eyes to what just happened John." I said immediately in response. "They knew not only where you were but they brought a friggin cannon to knock down your armored walls to get at you." I pointed out right back at him with just a hint of satisfaction in my deduction ability.

"A Gatling gun…" He said distracted as he considered my statement objectively with a moment to distance himself. "But I see your point. Still they may merely have staked out the golf course on the hope that…"

"Whatever." I interrupted him. "The fact is they knew what your defenses were and prepared a multi-level attack for them. This is not something you can throw together at the last…"

"Mr. Marcone." The radio headset chirped from the pilot as the helicopter took another violent turn again to the left.

"What is it?" The crime boss replied with a bit of irritation obviously noting the flight was irregular. I guess it was a standing rule that the hired help not speak except in emergencies.

"Sir there is an emergency." He said making Marcone turn his eyes and glare in my direction.

"Hey it wasn't me!" I said defensively and hoped that I may actually be telling the truth. In truth the way electronics failed around wizards left a lot to chance and it might be me even if I did not think so.

"Sir Ms. Carpenter is speaking the truth." Ms. Gard said staring out the window obviously at something disconcerting from the read on her emotional aura which of course made me turn to look out my own as well.

"Okay so that is not looking good." I said seeing that there was obviously some sort of flock of flying creatures currently chasing after the helicopter. From what I could tell we were perhaps a little faster in a straight line, but whatever they were, and there were dozens it appeared, these creatures were far more maneuverable. And unfortunately for us our ability to fly in straight lines and take advantage of our speed was extremely limited since we were down below the tops of the buildings. Gaining altitude probably meant slowing down or hovering, either of which offered a bad alternative as the things coming up behind us would catch up.

"Any idea what they…" I started to ask as Hendricks calmly pulled a case out from under his seat, flipped it open, and began to assemble some sort of sniper rifle.

"Ms. Gard?" Marcone interrupted my question with one of his own. I would have complained but then again it was his helicopter after all; I had just hitched a ride. All things currently considered, in the annals of history this might not go down as my best decision ever.

"They are magically possessed gargoyles sir." She replied as my eyes were drawn to the next old building we were passing where the demonic stonework on the corners of the structure seemed to shake off centuries of lethargy and come to life just as we passed by. One that was so close I could have jumped from the helicopter into its outstretched claws even open its eyes and display a rather wicked looking orange glow in those otherwise depths and began to track our helicopter's flight as it took wing behind us.

"Uuummm… any chance you can put them back to sleep, exorcise them, or something Gard?" I asked turning to look in her direction as she pulled her own short sword from the scabbard on her back but continued starring out the window.

"They must be cut off from the power that has awakened and instilled them. The only source of power I know of capable of this act of magic is a Hellstone." Gard said in reply. "It is a fragment of stone from the dark depths so vested in evil magic that its presence awakens these statues and instills an imp within their bodies to serve as a soul and control of sorts."

"Oh that is just great!" I replied. "So where the hell did that come from? Have I missed the late night infomercials for buying Hellstone now? I'm betting it would be popular on Gem Network."

"Such power is incredibly rare." Gard said as the helicopter swerved past one of the older churches downtown and another half dozen of the creatures awakened and took to the air behind us. The flock was getting incredible sizable and none looked all that friendly. Remind me to ask Father Forthill what genius decided stone demons on a church were a good idea anyway! Why the heck doesn't a church have fat little cherub angels or something harmless? But that is an issue for another, albeit safer, time. "Even the Greater Demons would not trade such a relic without acquiring something equally valuable in exchange. Furthermore it is lethal to mortals who touch it to call upon its power."

The helicopter began to turn left once more when a flicker of light from the Sears Tower caught my eye. "No go to the right!" I ordered flipping my comm line to channel one. To my amusement and relief the pilot obeyed my order on reflex. Yeah the pilot was definitely military and definitely some interesting history I'll bet though I doubt much to rival this situation.

"Ms. Carpenter I will request that you leave the professional to do his job." Marcone said rather strained at my reaction. Hell I forgave the boss immediately for getting a bit tightly wound. This is the second attempt on his life in an hour so unless two significant attacks was an otherwise slow day for him I am betting his nerves were on edge as well.

"Sure thing John." I said. "I just figured since to the right was the newer part of town where the builders stopped putting gargoyles on all the damn building that it might be a better idea rather than continuing to build up the forces aligned against us." I explained. "Of course I am not a genius crime boss or anything…" I smiled. Okay, maybe I was not as forgiving in mannerisms as I had been in mind. Hey it's like my third or fourth attack in twenty-four hours so I deserve a break too.

He snarled in response and shook his head but then spoke into the headset. "Make for the new part of town and do what you can to keep us steady so Hendricks can get off decent shots." He ordered.

I looked to Gard who seemed the most knowledgeable about our enemy. "Bullets?" I asked her simply.

"Doubtful." She confirmed my concern when facing a demonic creature made of stone. "If they were bless silver…"

"Which they probably are not…" I looked and she shook her head confirming we had indeed boarded the train to what may be the worst situation ever face by a wizard in a helicopter; a situation I admit is probably not all that common. "Great…"

"My blade can deal with them individually." Gard replied to Marcone with a sense of resignation that made me understand this was a delaying tactic at best. "It is blessed and therefore will drive the imp out of any gargoyle body it comes into contact with."

"Well that is good right?" I asked.

"Perhaps." Gard replied. "In truth against such numbers I will be fortunate to down a score before they claim me." She explained without any false sense of pride or defeat. "Imps are vicious creatures in their home world and exist only to destroy. The presence of another will drive one to immediate frenzy to kill the intruder. It is only through a great force of will and the fear of promised eternal torment and destruction that permits the Greater Demonkind keep them from warring upon themselves to extinction; which is of course unfortunate to us."

"So wait." I said to get clarity. "Are you saying that we are facing a Greater Demon out there as well?" I asked thinking this was getting way out of hand for a cute and perky wizard.

"No that is the power transferred into the Hellstone providing that control." Gard replied. "The stone's magic keeps the imps' natural rage and destruction in check if only just. I was designed as a means for elder wizards to raise the hosts of Hell to do their bidding for short spans of time usually in exchange for the wizard's soul."

"But you said it killed those who used it so what good is that type of deal?" I asked as the Sears Tower grew in the cockpit window ahead of us. Yeah I know they had sold the rights to the name of the tower and then changed it a couple years back but all true Chicago residents still called it the Sears Tower just like our football team would always be 'da Bears!'

"Some wizards accepted that deal as a means to exact revenge while others offered up charmed vassals and apprentices to hold the Hellstone in their absence." Gard explained as she dropped her suit coat and tightened the leather armor she concealed underneath. "But such history matters not in our present situation. The best we can accomplish now is for my death to be sung in the halls of Valhalla while the rest of you escape." She seemed more than happy to resign herself to this fate. And of course this just worked to actually piss me off.

"Jesus just stop it already!" I yelled getting everyone's undivided attention and causing the helicopter to buck hard but I really did not care. "Ms. Gard, pardon me for saying so as I know you are this super warrior woman and all but your plan sucks." I turned and looked at Marcone. "And you are worse still. Whoever set you up has been out thinking you from the start and leaving you only options they want you to take and so you sit here and do exactly what they want you too."

His eyes narrowed at me but he did not say anything. I could tell the idea of tossing me out the window and seeing if I could fly was probably running through his head as well. In for a penny, in for a pound.

"Someone tried to kill you at the golf course John but they fail." I explained. "But obviously they expected that attack to fail because they had this Hellstone thing set up as well so with all the noise the golf course attack created he knew you will try to fly out as the police will have a hard time following you like that." I said quite convincingly I might add.

"Now as you are flying into town he just happens to have set you up with Hellstone leaving the only means for your escape is to sacrifice Ms. Gard for you to get away. But what if again this is exactly what he wants you to do?" I asked him. "Don't you think maybe he could be playing you like a pawn on a chessboard?" I asked.

Marcone stopped for a second and thought this through, which is pretty impressive but also demonstrates how smart and dangerous John Marcone can be even in the middle of a life and death situation. "There is certainly merit in what you say Ms. Carpenter but it does not change that the underlying facts that beasts will trap us inside this craft anyway before long regardless if we keep flying or try to land." Marcone replied with a deadly seriousness. "I will accept your analysis that our current opponent has obviously thought this all through and therefore planned to counter my available resources but..." He stopped in midsentence with his eyes widening just a bit.

And that worried me on some primal level as he stared at me and I suddenly felt like a caged animal.

"…except of course he could not have expected you to be with us." Marcone said letting the smile bloom a bit more. "Therefore his plans would not, even could not, account for your presence here which makes you a complete wildcard my dear." The way he said wildcard came across to me about the same as a doctor explaining to a patient they had stage four cancer.

"Sure." I agreed. "Unfortunately I can't fly and any spell I may cast here in your helicopter will probably send us plummeting to our death anyway so unless you plan to toss me out…" I paused to consider my audience. "…and I would advise against that as I would knock this craft from the sky just for spite, I do not see how this improves our situation in the least."

"I could grant you the power to fly, at least temporarily." Ms. Gard interrupted as she pulled a small wooden case about the size of her palm from inside her armor and opened it to reveal a set of varying stone tiles imprinted with what I assumed were Nordic glyphs. "As I said earlier, worthy Shield Maidens were granted the ability to bear their loved ones to Valhalla so such magic is within my ability to grant." She held up a tile that appeared to be made of chalk or talc or some other relatively weak stone-like material.

"Great so I can fly." I said not thrilled with this particular line of thought. "How exactly does this improve our chances?"

"Why by flying and with all of Dresden's training certainly you should be able to destroy or draw off these beasts would you not?" Marcone asked. "Dresden seemed unusually capable of destroying my establishments better than the big bad wolf for he could destroy even those made of stone. Therefore can the notorious Rag Lady be any less capable?" He asked with just a hint of mockery in that smooth voice of his. The fact that he was quoting nursery rhymes as a source for his arguments was enough to keep me off balance anyway. "And such a plan would allow us to move a step ahead of our opponent as you are arguing for would it not?"

Yeah all of this would work just fine if I were a battle wizard like Harry was but not only did we not have the time to explain the nuances of magic with Marcone but there was advantage in keeping him thinking that I actually did have that type of power. On the other hand assumptions like this one did get me into situations like this over and over again where people came to rely on me for Harry-like spells not understanding that my magic was less combat based and more focused on…

"Gard you said this Hellstone tempers the fight in them, correct?" I asked letting a thought form in my head. "That means they are open to mental manipulation right? So things like that lust spell probably should affect them as well?"

She gave this a consideration for a brief moment. "It might slow or cause them hesitation for a short period but their natural tendencies toward destruction would tend to limit the spell's duration I would imagine."

"Sure, but even short periods would offer some level of opportunity would it not?" I asked. "So if I cast a spell of lethargy by the time they recovered gravity alone would likely reduce them to gravel, right?"

She considered that. "Perhaps." She was hesitant to accept this. "I know not how resistant to such emotions their demonic nature toward ruin and evil makes them." She admitted.

"Well there is only one way to find out." I said considering the implications of my plan and turning to Marcone. "Can you get us over somewhere a few tons of raining stone states will not kill anyone and we can try this out?" Then I turned back to Gard. "What do I need to do to learn how to fly?"

Marcone ordered the pilot just to the east of the Sears Tower where he said his business interest were currently demolishing a set of structures to put up new buildings in their place. Falling stone might still be a hazard to some workmen who would not likely be on the roofs anyway but it would keep the civilians safe since the area was cordoned off for a full block. It was the best he could offer and I did not have a better plan since flying out to Lake Michigan meant going straight through the flock of gargoyles chasing after us.

Ms. Gard gingerly handed me the small one inch square rune tile of talc. Even from her gently placing it in my left hand that simple movement left a small chalk like line on my palm meaning the square became slightly smaller. She then carefully closed my fingers around it but not quite over it. "Crush it in your palm when you wish to evoke the spell." She explained. "But be wary as the powder will quickly slip through your fingers, and as it dissipates so shall your ability to fly."

Great! Now my life and health rested on a piece of chalk. How the hell do I get myself into these situations? I nodded as Hendricks pulled open the cargo door beside me and the buffering by the wind nearly blew the tile out of my hand. Thankfully I was the only one to notice as Gard was unbuckling the sword belt from around her torso and then strapped it around mine where I could reach the blade with my right hand. The warm leather belt went fine with the leather dress and thankfully the blade was not all that different in size from the ones I had practiced with previously.

"I am hoping the blade proves unnecessary but I will thank you all the same." I said understanding the honor behind the gift as I took off the headset and dropped it on the seat.

"A warrior should always face death with a weapon in her hand. That is just in case your plan fails." She said with a sense of deadly seriousness.

That look reminded me of something Harry once said in passing. He thought that as a Valkyrie Ms. Gard could sense the timing of a warrior's impending death and that was how they knew when to arrive on the battlefield to retrieve them. Could this be the same subtle signal she was telling me right now?

Unfortunately her emotions were closed off to my ability to read. I did not take that as a good sign for my health.

The helicopter slowed to a hover and Marcone's voice yelled above the wind. "Any time you are ready Ms. Carpenter." He said emotionlessly as well though that was more natural coming from him. Or was it that he understood what Gard was saying, or rather not saying?

Screw it! I crushed the tile in my hand and felt it turn to baby powder. I did not spend any more thought on what may happen and instead just leaped out the door trusting that Gard had not lied to me.

Yeah, as I fell the first ten feet or so through the air as gravity took hold I could not help immediately thinking she was a deceitful lying bitch and bastard, but then the magic kicked in and I felt wings, magical not substantive, sprout from my back and hold me aloft. The feeling was beyond my ability to describe and filled me with a sense of awe, but I did retract my earlier dispersions of Ms. Gard's character and parentage.

The helicopter began to immediately move away and slowly climb undoubtedly at Marcone's direction. Sure it made sense to get the mechanical vehicle away from potential magic spells but it still felt like I was being abandoned to face the ravaging hordes all by myself. Which if you looked at it objectively is exactly what was happening at that moment.

I drew in magic as the mass of stony creatures, by this point I estimated it between sixty and eighty, came screaming for their human sacrifice. I tried not to focus on their horrible faces and burning orange eyes but instead weigh the amount of magic I had harnessed in and at the same times the distance between us as I shaped the spell in my mind.

I have said before that casting a spell is more about will than words. In fact the words merely have to make sense to the caster to create the effect in his or her mind. That is why Harry's first spell of fire was cast with the rough Latin translations of Flick my Bic. Since I had never cast a lethargy spell and only tried to evoke a small level of calming though my emotional projection I did not know a proper word to use in this situation. Therefore I had to improvise and make it sound reasonable to myself.

"Snoozus!" I commanded waving my hand before me in the direction of the squadron of imp infested gargoyles. Sure it would not be the soliloquy I would want to be remembered by, and it probably had Harry's ghost shaking his head and laughing if he was watching over me, but I was hoping this whole situation was not going to come require my death speech anyway.

Sure enough I was right. The magic wave slammed into the gargoyles and overcame their desire to kill and replace it with a sense of sloth, causing them to fall en mass from the skies. "Woohoo!" I screamed in triumph watching them plummet. "Screw Leroy Brown, who is the baddest ass wizard in Chicago now?" I watched as the stone statues fell toward the construction area below and did a small victory roll enjoying the sense of flight.

I felt the bullet whiz just past my head even before I heard the crack of gunshot but both caused me to drop some of the powder I was holding which dropped me in height as well saving me from the second shot also. This shot obviously came from above and at first I thought Hendricks had taken it but as I turned toward the helicopter noise I recognized the aircraft's sounds were not coming from the same direction as the gunshots.

Well not as the first two gunshot at least. Hendricks immediately fired and I flinched but his round was aimed toward the Sears Tower where I sensed more than saw the bullet strike home followed a moment later by a body tumbling from the top of the tower to fall to the ground below if it did not land on some outcropping along the way.

So I was right in that the gargoyles and Hellstone also had a backup as well. Damn the other side was getting a little too smart for my comfort. But hey they still lost both their sniper and the…

"Son of a bitch!" I said looking down and hoping to plaster my face with satisfaction at the sight of eighty or so broken statues littering the ground but instead the gargoyles apparently had awoken from their slumber in time to keep themselves from crashing and now were flapping their wings in a feverish manner to get revenge on a certain cute and perky wizard. I also sensed they were, if anything, even more bloodthirsty than moments before telling me they had a propensity to wake up on the wrong side of the bed.

I drew in more magic as I reached for the sword on my back and that simple movement caused some more grains of powder to slip through my closed hand. As a sensitive wizard I could sense the power of the spell allowing me to fly weaken in response just a bit more and this was a great impetus for me to find somewhere to land, however the between the nearest landing zone and me was a horde of enraged gargoyles and I knew they would catch me before I could get wither down or to the top of the Sears Tower.

"Okay Molly you are running out of time and options here so you better come up with something smart pretty fast or the stone dudes are going to do something rather horrible to you." I thought to myself.

A wandering thought jumped into my head. Is this the fate that Gard had seen for me when she handed me the sword? I agree it is better to go down fighting than as a sheep to the slaughter but personally I'd prefer not to die at all if I were given the choice.

All the same, I could not keep the image of a mad berserker rush at the creatures as my final death scene from playing out in my head. Which gave me the perfect idea and inspiration of 'If you can't beat the, join them!'

I made up another word and released another emotional wave spell at the gargoyles since manipulating the minds of magical creatures was not forbidden by the Laws of Magic. Instead of casting lethargy this time though I decided on a spell of wrath. Instead of trying to contain or counter the imp's bloodlust I fed it. And at the same time I let the spell feed into me a bit as well to overcome my own sense of fear and doom.

True to Ms. Gard's descriptions the magic of the Hellstone to restrain the imps' normal aggressive tendencies was barely sufficient for that task so the addition of my spell of unbridled rage overcame these limiting bindings and set the creatures on the attack against their closest perceived threats – which were the others of their kind flying beside them.

Before I could even close the distance between us the sky before me was suddenly transformed into a swirling fur ball of aerial combat with battle roars and screeches. This was immediately followed the cracking thunderous sounds of stone striking stone and then the first by rains of gravel as gargoyles collided in combat. Soon the losers of these encounters, and sometimes even the winners as well, were plummeting from the sky without wing appendages long enough to still support them.

When I reached the melee more than half of the creatures had been dispatched in this manner, proving stone wings not a particularly effective choice for combatants of this size, and almost all the rest were damaged and flying erratically. As imps, like all demonkind, are relatively immortal my presence as a mere mortal hardly registered as a danger when compared to the threat from others like themselves. And who knows, maybe they also were working out centuries of grudges as well, much like Daniel and I used to when out of sight of our parents.

True to Ms. Gard's word the sword she had handed to me was indeed effective against the creatures; cleaving stone as easily as flesh. My first attack was a learning experience for me as it killed one of a pair of gargoyles engaged in a scuffle left the second one free to immediately attack me and I had to offer up a quick defense to avoid its four arm and two legged clawed attacks before my blade struck a killing blow and it fell to join its former opponent on the ground beneath us.

From that point on I tried to focus my own swings to strike both engaged creatures with a single blow as a means to dismiss their possessing imp spirits or at least leave the blade after a first strike in position for an immediate follow up with the next creature in line. There was a rising sense of satisfaction in me as the number of creatures fell from two score to a dozen and then into the single digits.

As the number of targets decreased though the surviving gargoyles began to take greater notice of me and right after dispatching the sixth remaining flyer and starting toward numbers five and four wrestling in the air a short distance away below me, number three slammed full into me from the side making me almost lose my grip on the sword.

My reaction to fumble for the blade caused me to open my left hand which allowed most of the remaining powder from Gard's rune to blow away – remember Chicago is the Windy City after all. This caused me to fall though I did get the blade around enough to tag my attacker as well allowing his form to return to inanimate stone and plummet from the sky as I struggled with the remaining shreds of magic to keep myself buoyant and aloft. I did not quite succeed fully in time.

My body crashed onto the struggling pair I had been observing which inadvertently aiding one attacker's blow of stripping off a stone wing from its opponent just before my blade disenchanted the successful one leaving him grappling the first.

The wingless survivor looking to stay aloft locked its hands around my wrists causing the last of the powder in my left hand to drift free along with my ability to maintain altitude myself while also preventing the sword in my right hand from cutting me free. That left me and two stone statues weighing hundreds of pounds each falling from the sky and just like in the Roadrunner cartoons, I was soon the coyote and underneath the rocks as we fell in tandem.

There was a sudden crack like thunder above me and the bodies of the two gargoyles that had me trapped burst into clouds of dust as Ms. Gard slammed their bodies together with rather significant level of force for a woman of her femininity. Her hands reached through this mist of sand and locked onto my leather dress and pulled us out of the dive, if only just barely, to avoid a rather nasty termination on the roof of a condemned building. I have to admit that other than my dislike of its color, the dress had held up better for me under the conditions of this day than I could have expected from either the Egyptian cotton or Chinese silk.

"Uuummm, I am hoping that you are just offering me a lift not one of your famous passages to my final destination sort of thing." I said with a smile though still a hint of true concern.

"Rest assured though your actions may warrant cheers and raised horns of mead in the Halls of Valhalla, I believe you still have many battles to fight before you take your place among those ranks." She said with obvious honor. "In truth I just wanted my sword back." The hint of a smile and a shared laugh among girls was refreshing.

She landed us a short distance away on the roof helipad of a nearby building where Marcone and Hendricks were awaiting us patiently. The helicopter pilot's body was slumped over the controls of the craft and there was what appeared to be blood splattered across the windscreen in front of him.

As Gard set me free and I found my footing in the leather boots Marcone held up a pair of gold coins for my view, similar to the ones the mercenaries had been carrying, and then dropped them into my open bag sitting on the ground next to his feet.

"Is that supposed to be my payment for your life John?" I asked with my normal level of snark.

"No, just sharing intelligence between allies." He replied. "Since you can use the money more than I let's just say I am thinking of it as charity and we can leave it at that."

Smug bastard. "Fine, and what about the Hellstone?" I asked as this was more important still considering what Gard had said.

Ms. Gard walked to the front of the helicopter and removed a fist-sized rock duct taped to the inside of the landing strut. I could sense both its evil and power and noted that the orange glow of the stone looked just like the eyes of the gargoyles.

"Since I can hold it without repercussions I shall dispose of this personally." She said.

"Maybe I should…" I started to respond but was cut off.

"I think we will keep it available." Marcone interrupted me. "You never know when something like this may come in handy."

"No." Ms. Gard said with a sense of finality. "This is outside the agreement of our contract Mr. Marcone. Monoc Securities has very defined policies when such items fall into the hands of mortals. It would grieve me greatly to implement those policies considering how mutually profitable our relationship has been to this point."

Marcone was not used to having anyone tell him no, and certainly not someone in his employ. But perhaps the multiple attacks on his life in the last few hours had made him a little more accepting. I decided to push ever so gently both with words and my subtle emotions.

"You know John the way this was planned, perhaps the real goal all along was to get you to keep the Hellstone so that it could be used to open a gate and bring something even nastier through your wards. We know they hired out something big to bring you down. Maybe this is the key." I said making sure it sounded like innocent speculation. Ms. Gard's eyes flickered toward my own saying without words that she knew what I was up to and that she would not interfere.

"Fine." Marcone said at last. "Ms. Gard, see that thing destroyed. Mr. Hendricks bring the car around to the front of the building. We have to get back to the office and destroy any connections between my interests and the pilot or this aircraft before the authorities begin to piece this together for themselves." He said and then turned back to me. "We will drop Ms. Carpenter off somewhere convenient along the way. I believe this will properly protect my reputation where ladies are concerned?" He asked as a means to move on to more pressing subject and dismiss the issue of the Hellstone entirely.

"Sure John." I said. "I promise to tell everyone I had a lovely afternoon in fact." Ms. Gard's lip quivered a bit as she fought back a smile.

Once the others had left to their assigned tasks Marcone handed me my bag and we began the trek down the stairs to the car not wanting to get caught in an elevator even if we were forty floors up or so. I am not a huge fan of awkward silence and after the first flight of steps I had reached this point and had to make conversation.

"So the sniper on the tower…?" I asked.

"He was competently trained and experienced with both a military issue fifty caliber sniper rifle and a computerized scope." Marcone relayed. "He most likely could take down a target up to two miles away with this equipment. We obviously did not have time to recover the body but I have no doubt he too will be found sporting a pair of gold coins as well. I will have my people quietly look into the situation more thoroughly."

"And was the target was Gard or you?" I asked.

"When we questioned him the pilot claimed not to know however this landing strip is well within range of a shot." Marcone answered as we reached a floor somewhere in the thirties. "Had I planned this, I would have maximized my options and allowed for either contingency. I would also have increased my chances of success by using Teflon rounds for example to ensure penetration through any possible body armor. Such equipment is hard to come by so my sources should be able to track down the distributors who sold the goods and from there the buyer."

"That will take some time though." I said aloud as I was thinking through other concerns and the likelihood that we would not have the benefit of time.

"Most likely." He agreed. "However, since our enemies have found a means to penetrate nearly to my inner circle, I will have to take some time to reorganize a bit anyway as a means to ensure the loyalty of those closest to me. Unfortunately you will have to inform Ms. Murphy that this means my forces will be taking less of a direct confrontational role in the near future. Perhaps now she will consider my offer and accept a position to allow us to get the city's assets off the sideline and on our side. I would appreciate it greatly were you to be so kind as to relay that to her Ms. Carpenter."

"I will do what I can John." I said in response.

"Let us hope for this city's sake that like it was often with Dresden that what you can will prove to be enough." He replied as we walked the rest of the stairs in silence.


	10. Chapter 10

**Honor's Debt**

**_Monday Evening _**

**_Chapter 10_**

Marcone had Hendricks drop me off where I had left my car parked and the pair of them left, Ms. Gard had not returned from her own mission, presumably to go to whatever office Marcone required to erase his connections to today's events. I thought about trying to remove my own presence from the events of today as well but thankfully any trace to me was sketchy at best.

There was a lot of talk about UFOs over Chicago and some sort of aerial battle but surprisingly with all the cell phones and cameras that citizens had at their disposal no one had successfully recorded anything. I am pretty sure the waves of magic between my spells, the gargoyles, and the Hellstone was more than enough to screw up the latest I-Phones and such. Now had Zabruder been nearby with his 8mm camera I might have ended up the next unwilling star of a Kennedy Assassination conspiracy video. So I guess I have to thank modern technology for once.

By now Thomas would have gotten word to Murphy and since I had just been to her house last night I did not want to seem to be forming a pattern by showing up there again, especially since I absolutely had to tomorrow night to collect my attire for the Japanese consulate dinner. How I get myself into these situations surprises even me when I have the opportunity to stop and take a breath for a moment.

I really did not have anywhere pressing I needed to be and since I had just borne witness to the fact that the other side was able to think more than a single move ahead I figured it might be smart for me to try and do the same. So I took a drive and ended up down by the lakeshore figuring it was a location the Fomor probably operated in without too much concern and therefore would be unlikely to suspect my presence. Yeah I know that is rather twisted logic and all but it had been working for me.

Alright so let's see what the evidence is pointing to I thought as I sat on the hood of my car and watched the sky to the east begin to darken as nightfall set in.

First there were the Fomor who were a race of evil sea dwelling beings who took umbrage at the fact that the Irish had kicked them repeatedly off their island. Yes I used the word umbrage on purpose because when I used these ten-dollar words this tended to annoy the White Council when they heard me speaking them.

The Fomor were led by a class of wizards whose powers were mostly entropic, another ten-dollar word, rather than directly combative. It was possible they also liked to inflict plagues on those who did not submit to their will as a sort of doomsday device. Bob the Skull also suspected that this pestilence focus and the often sea-based look to some of the forms hinted strongly that the Fomor were occasional allies with the Denarians or that the Nickleheads, as Harry referred to the, were perhaps clients of the Fomor in creating their forms or pestilence magic.

I ran my memories of the Denarians through my mind and said honestly that I had not proof that they were at all a part of our current situation. It was true that one or more could be the mysterious 'Merchant' power that the memory shard had spoken of; the idea aligned to the selling your soul for silver types of things, but that was the only possible connection. Truth be told there were lots of powers out there that would qualify with that vague a term. Heaven knows any of the Summer or Winter Court willingly trafficked in goods or services with mortals. I dismissed all of them into the unlikely but possible category and moved on to the next subject.

Someone in the White Court, probably Felicia though I did not have proof, was also working with the other side and had sold out Murphy's team and likely been responsible for killing Marcone's agent as well. How they had discovered that Marcone had someone feeding him intelligence was a question that none of us seemed to be able to answer satisfactorily yet. We were all assuming that the spy had slipped up and been discovered but what if there was something more involved? If there was what could it be? The agent had supposedly been bringing data on the Fomor base in the Undercity known as the Hive as well as what the Fomor's plans were for eliminating our resistance.

It is likely a spy would have only committed this data to memory to prevent it from inadvertently falling into the wrong hands and exposing him, but for some reason that just did not seem likely to me. I had this nagging feeling that there was a hard copy somewhere and finding it would help us immensely. But of course I had no ideas on where to begin for that. So mental note number one became call Butters and see if he had learned anything additional.

Okay next and maybe not important, someone on the evil side seemed to be hiring out mercenaries to do their dirty work rather than rely upon their own forces. This could be because we were getting smart on the Fomor weaknesses or just as possible they liked turning humans against ourselves when we should be working together. The same beings may also be hiring magical mercenaries, such as the ghoul troop that attacked the reinforcement Wardens, but that was still just speculation on my part. I just had to leave the options open where this situation was concerned.

Last of course was The Merchant, possibly coming in from Asia, and the likelihood that we were really dealing with something really powerful from beyond the Outer Gates. This whole Oblivion War that Thomas and Lara keyed me in on came as a shock to me and made me understand that the stakes in this case were potentially a whole lot greater than I had thought they were. If this was true, what was some cute and perky sensitive wizard going to do against something like that?

Harry told me when trying to figure things out like this when the odds seemed so stacked against you that it was important to first determine what your enemy was after. Once you knew that then it merely became an issue of denying them victory rather than facing them one on one. Unfortunately the goal in this particular plan seemed to be eliminating our little resistance group and I had to say it was working.

Lara was going to have to keep an eye on her back as Thomas worked the Oblivion War aspects making the White Court less committed to our mutual interests. After today's events it looked like the same was going to be said for Marcone and his forces as well until the loyalty issues were established once more. That just left me and Karrin and her little band of freedom fighters against the various forces aligned against us. Even with the pair of liaisons from the White Council we were still awfully thin on power to counter so many threats. And according to what the memory shard showed me there were plans underway to sideline our little group as well.

Regardless of Marcone's hopes I saw little chance that Karrin would compromise her stance and bring in the police to our side of the fight. We could maybe try to up the ante and hire various mercenaries ourselves but first of all we hardly had that level of resources and second it would open us up for infiltration and betrayal. We were successful because we were tight knit, knew, and most importantly trusted one another. Right now, however, I felt like Elrond in Lord of the Rings when Gandalf explains that The White Wizard had gone over to Sauron's side as well leaving the good guys without a lot of allies.

I wondered if Lea or Mab would help us more. It would be nice to get the Winter Court playing for our side but my recent attempts at contact with those in power had been politely rebuffed. The Court was dealing with issues of its own and did not have time for a mortal war. And because of my close association with Lea and the role I played in the attempted coup of the Summer Queen by its former handmaiden, the Summer faeries were not interested in any alliance I might seek.

I certainly could not go to the White Council either and ask for help directly; not with the death sentence hanging over me. I thought about trying to reach Wizard McCoy but he seemed the busiest of the High Council since he was the Black Staff and allowed to kill when required. Carlos and the Wardens had offered all the help it could as well. I was really running out of ideas of where to get help from.

Or was I?

I certainly was not Harry, nor did I have his knack for making friends – and enemies – over the course of decade plus wizardly career. But I had made a few interesting acquaintances along the way and a few of them might offer a bit of needed support were I to request it. None of them were an army unto themselves though all were capable of lending a respectable hand or two in their various areas of expertise were they willing to. The trick of course would be getting word to them.

For two of them I had what I suspected was the perfect means to do so. For a third I probably had the materials to jury rig a similar message. But reaching required obtaining materials I did not have with me. And to do that meant facing a set of very significant physical, mental, and even emotional dangers that I was not sure I could handle and under less dire conditions ones that I hoped to avoid. This combination really made me stop and consider if the city was truly in this level of ominous doom as to require this of me. Unfortunately, I had to objectively admit that it was and that this left me no choice but to face up to the facts.

I was going to have to go home…

*…..* …..*…..*…..*

You might think that with the fear and trepidation that built up inside of me that my parents' home should look like the Bates Motel from the movie Psycho or something equally sinister. The truth be told it actually looked and felt more like something that belonged on an old Leave it to Beaver episode or something similarly heartwarming and family oriented.

The lawn was immaculate with parallel diagonal lines from a recent mower cutting; my dad having self-proclaimed empirical proof that diagonal cutting was better for the grass therefore insisted that my brothers learned to cut it with a push mower to these exacting standards. The house was likewise well maintained seeming almost as if new; which in part is thanks to my father the contract carpenter and my brothers who all were forced to learn the trade as a vital male skill set. I remembered that every year the trim and window shutters were wire brushed and repainted to not only guard against the rain and snow as strongly as the vinyl siding, but also to remove signs of fading from the summer sun.

There were no magical wards on the place beyond the standard threshold that all loving homes had, though with the love in this house it was probably magically stronger than the armored walls of Fort Knox. Furthermore there was no denying the feel of power and goodness that protected the home and its occupants.

Some in the know might say this is payback for all the good my dad did as a Knight of the Cross during his years of service as God's hand. I think it really is merely a reflection of the faith those who live inside have in him and the love they share for one another. I may be a wizard and not live here anymore but the house knew me and the threshold that might strip away the power of any other wizard or magical being accepted me without hesitation and almost a sense of welcome. Because of this feeling, coming home both strengthened my soul and at the same time it tore my spirit to shreds if that makes any sense to the rest of you.

I had waited until well after midnight before entering the neighborhood and even then parked nearly half a mile away at neighborhood gas station. In part I wanted the darkness on my side to help me perform reconnaissance of who or what might be on the lookout for me. Furthermore if there were guardians keeping watch they were more likely to tire out and become sloppier after midnight when most people were asleep; that is if the guardians were human at least.

I used one of my least noisy veils and spent nearly an hour scouting all the likely locations that afforded observation points. I even checked out the tree house in my backyard where I often went to hide when I lived here and so would make a great similar spying post for those looking for me. Strangely enough it turned out that there was no one, nor were there even any magical guardians or warding alarm spells that I could find.

That result made me reassess my entire living situation, at least where the White Council was concerned. Either the Council and the Wardens figured I would never be so stupid as to come here, which seems unlikely since they tend to be both patient and thorough, or they were so caught up in their own issues that the simple hunt for a wayward apprentice, even one with a death sentence on her head for being a rogue, was not currently a front burner issue. Sure Carlos's reinforcements had recognized me as such but only because they had literally tripped over me. They had obviously not come looking for me with to collect a bounty.

I was happy to say I was not at all insulted by this. I would be quite satisfied to not have to deal with them further either. Of course it was not like I was able to stop worrying about them completely, however, I could probably dial down my level of paranoia where the Council was confirmed until things in the magical world settled out a little better.

The Council and Wardens had represented the majority of the physical danger I had been concerned with but I still had the mental and emotional aspects to deal with. Accordingly, I cast a silence spell on the area around the door to remove the chances of my inadvertently alerting those inside that I had come home.

I of course had a key to the front door and opened it as quickly as I could to get inside and get this whole situation over with as soon as possible. I figured with just a little luck I could be in and out of here in three minutes and no one would be the wiser. However, two hundred pounds of solid packed muscle stood just on the other side of the door, with a look on his face that said he obviously was expecting me but did not take any further action; now allowing me to make the next move.

"Hi ya Mouse." I said as softly and as friendly as I could as he stared at me. "It's me Molly."

He cocked his head at the second part of the statement as if to say 'Ummm duh I can see that.' I know that is ascribing a lot more intelligence to a dog than is normal but having listened to him speaking with Lea in Mexico I also knew that he was much more than just a simple dog. Regardless of the magical protections my parents' home may have, Mouse was a physical manifestation of pure guardianship that and anyone planning to do harm here, or especially anyone with hostile intents toward Harry's daughter, would be wise to take into consideration.

"I just stopped by to pick a few things up." I explained and he just continued to sit in the middle of the hallway barring my way forward as only a two hundred pound animal can do, and stare patiently at me as if I needed to speak a password or something to get access. It took me a moment to figure out what was missing but then once I did and I came forward and gave him some rough scratches behind his big doggie ears.

After ten seconds or so of enjoying this and allowing his head to grind even harder into my fingers he backed up, turned around, and started climbing silently up the stairs only pausing long enough to see if I was following not that he had granted me his permission. I wondered if my dad knew whose house this really was now.

At the second floor he turned off to onto the landing and paced partway down the hallway past my parents' room before looking at me askew as I continued up the stairs instead. His panting was the only noise I could hear in the house and I was afraid being right there in the hallway outside their bedroom door it would wake my mom and dad.

"I just have to get something from my room quick." I said in a whisper as he cocked his head at me again. "Then I will come by to see what a good job you are doing protecting Maggie." That seemed to satisfy him so Mouse turned back and continued down the hallway to Maggie's room where he went inside obviously to await my arrival.

I opened the door to my attic converted bedroom and was greeted with all the nostalgia and memories that I was afraid of. My room was on the top floor to give me the greatest distance between my magical powers that I had still been trying to get control over and the most expensive equipment in the house such as televisions, the furnace, and the hot water heater. That had been a costly lesson the week after I returned home as Harry's apprentice and while my parents never appeared less than pleased to have me back, the fact that I did not cause the toaster to explode while practicing in my room was comforting to their conscience and their budget.

My room was almost exactly as I had last left it with the notable exception that my mother had picked up the clothes I had tossed around in my haste to get out of the house the last time I was here months ago. Those clothes were now all freshly washed, properly folded, and all laying there on my bed even though I knew there were pieces in that pile my mother would have preferred to 'accidentally' toss into the trash if she had the choice. It was a silent testimony of her respect and love for me that she had not.

Still dressed as the equivalent of a White Court courtesan from an S&M club I did take two minutes I had not previously planned to in order to toss on a pair of my old broken in jeans, comfy sneakers, and a less revealing long-sleeved concert t-shirt from a band that no longer existed before hanging up the leather dress in the back of my closet so I could give it back to Lara or Thomas sometime in the future. If my mom opened the closet door she would probably see it instantly, but this at least kept it out of sight of my sisters if they should come snooping. I did not want my mom complaining to everyone about how I was corrupting them if they found it.

I did notice my jeans hung a little looser than they used to so I grabbed a thick leather belt that I had bought simply as a decorative accessory years ago and strung it through the belt loops to keep the jeans from falling off me. It would also make a convenient weapon or binding if I needed it in the future; which goes a long way to telling you how screwed up my life had become. Satisfied with the way they sat, I then turned and went to my dresser that held the real prizes I had come here for.

The top drawer of my dresser had always held my few treasures I had felt worth keeping, at least those I did not mind my parents knowing I had. Accordingly this is where the things I came to collect were still sitting since anyone who might raid my stash would not have chosen to take these items anyway.

The easiest items to locate without digging through everything were the four small black velvet bags, all of them empty now, that had once held a payment in diamonds for my private investigative services. With the exception of a few stones that I had paid to have placed into settings that went toward a Christmas gift for my mother and sweet sixteenth birthday gifts held in trust for my sisters the rest of that payment was now long gone. But for what I had in mind I was pretty sure the bags would serve me just as well.

On the other side of the drawer was my original goal. It was a rather non-descript white queen chess piece that appeared to be made from ivory or other bone of some sort. While I might not be certain of the material, the small marking on the base told me who the scrimshaw carver had been; the same one who had made my wands for me. Therefore it also explained who had ordered its construction and sent it to me. As I had only received the single piece rather than an entire set I understood the true purpose of the gift even though no message had been delivered with it.

With my treasures stuffed safely in my loose jeans' pockets I took one last look around the room and found myself nearly breaking out in tears. It really would have been so easy for me to just hide up here in my room and tell the world to go away. It was not like anyone was expecting much out of me. In fact most of those who knew me thought I was as much a part of the problem, perhaps even more so, than I was part of a potential solution. Add to that even more importantly my bed looked so comforting and inviting that it was hard not to climb in. I knew it was not going to judge me but instead just accept me and allow me to sleep in until noon if I so wanted to.

I pushed all these thoughts aside before the other familiar memories of a house filled with familiar loving family sounds or the smells of breakfasts of bacon and pancakes broke my will to keeping fighting entirely. Chicago needed a guardian wizard whether the population knew this or not and with Harry dead this responsibility had passed to me. Whatever else my failing might be I was not going to let Harry down.

I left the room, closed my door, and went quietly back down the stairs, tiptoeing past my parents' room and into my mother's former sewing room that had been converted to a new bedroom for our latest family addition. To my amusement Mouse lay on the full sized bed next to Maggie Dresden who had her arm dropped around his body and her head resting against his furry back, pulling him close to her like he was some sort of two-hundred pound teddy bear.

The expression displayed on her face even asleep was one of feeling totally safe and loved. Considering what I knew and could imagine she had been through and knowing all she had lost that peaceful look and her restful sleep seemed a near miracle to me; but hey in the Carpenter household miracles were sort of the soup de jour.

Mouse raised his head from the pillow to regard me and I nodded in response to the lengths he put himself through as a guardian for Harry's daughter. In truth though the bed did look more comfortable than the floor so it did not seem all that much of a burden he was forced to bear in this particular case. I did not want to speak to him for fear of waking Maggie up to find some woman she did not know standing over her. Instead I merely smiled at the pair of them as his head went back to the pillow and then said a silent prayer that she would be granted a chance to have the happy childhood that she and all children deserved.

It seemed almost as a response to my wishes when I felt a further sense of comfort settle over me and would have ascribed it to my prayer being answered if the slightest whiff of familiar aftershave, Old Spice in this case, did not warn me just before a familiar hand came to brush my shoulder and announce his presence.

"I remember not that long ago it seems when you were that young." My father's voice whispered from behind me before his arms moved to wrap around my shoulders in a supportive hug.

"Maybe I was that young once but certainly I was never that innocent or that beautiful looking." I whispered in my defense.

"I may have to concede on the innocent part, you were a bit rambunctious, but in my eyes you will always be that beautiful." He replied without false bravado.

"Thank you daddy." I said leaning into him and feeling his protective warmth.

Mouse took this moment to raise his head off the pillow one more time and offer us a stare that spoke 'Hey, trying to protect the sleeping child here. Can you take this conversation somewhere else?' I took the hint, give him one last scratch behind the ears and then left the room and headed for the stairs as silently as I could with my father doing the same right behind me.

Once we reached the ground floor I turned to look at him and realized he had aged in the months since I'd last seen him. Don't get me wrong he was still in relatively great shape, you can't work construction, climbing up and down ladders, carrying heavy materials and tools, without staying in relatively good shape. But still a little of the luster I had grown up accustomed to was gone from his eyes. He had passed along the burden of a Knight of the Cross and this loss had changed him; not for the worse or for the better, it just made him a little different from the man who had raised me.

This line of analysis also made me wonder what he thought as he looked at me.

"You look hungry Molly." My father said as if in answer to my unspoken question. "Your mother left your dinner in the fridge. Why don't you go warm it up and we can talk a little while you eat."

I suddenly realized that I was indeed famished as I had not eaten since the little nibbles of brunch at Lara's but still his words nearly knocked m off my feet. "What do you mean she left my dinner in the fridge?" I asked. "How could she possibly know I was coming by tonight?" I knew I was a wizard in no small part because of my mother's bloodline, and that Little Harry had also already displayed some precognitive talents of his own. This revelation though now made me wonder if my mother's own gifts were returning once more after she had let them atrophy.

My dad understood and dismissed this line of thought immediately. "She leaves a plate of leftovers in the fridge for you every night Molly." He said in response. "It is her way of reminding all of us, and you if you were ever to stop by, that you are a part of this family and are always welcome here at home at any time." He explained.

Of course that revelation was too much for me and the tears I had been fighting back since stepping over the threshold now began to flow as I could not help but think about all the fights mom and I had over some pretty stupid things. I was about to break into vocal sobs when my dad continued. "Of course there is an additional understanding that Mouse takes it as his personal burden to not let the food go to waste if it is still here in the morning." He said making me smile as tears streamed down my cheeks and he opened the fridge to show me the covered plate. He peeled back the aluminum foil so I would be tempted by what lay inside.

I have to admit the nearly overflowing plate of vegetables and potatoes was tempting but one question immediately came to mind as I stared at the food. "Ummm dad, what is the sparkly colored stuff in the meatloaf?" I asked confused by the red, yellow, and orange flakes that seemed completely out of place in this meal and not something I recalled ever seeing from my previous encounters with my mother's cooking.

"Those would be Fruit Loops." Dad said as if this were the most normal thing in the world to have in a cooked and ground up meat product.

"Huh?" Yeah, I was so not buying it. I mean yeah it looked like Fruit Loops, but the idea still did not seem possible, even by a sheer accident involving a large spillage of breakfast cereal.

"They are Fruit Loops." He said again and then from the look on my face decided elaboration was required. "You mother is teaching your sister Amanda to cook and Amanda decided that instead of just regular old breadcrumbs in the meatloaf she would experiment by using cereal and this is what we happened to have on hand." He explained.

Drug usage in the Carpenter household was out of the question so I began to wonder if Amanda had somehow been struck by an evil curse to come up with such an idea. Probably the Kellogg's curse inflicted upon children who watch too much Saturday morning cartoons or something I bet. Hell for all I know it could even be contagious!

"You have to try it." He said with a smile putting the plate in the microwave after removing the foil and covering it instead with a plastic cover. "It really gives the meatloaf a rather unique taste." The look on my face probably was the same as if I had just discovered my father was a zombie and offered me brains.

"Yeah I bet." I said trying not to let it show on my face how little I thought hamburger and sugary breakfast cereals went together. Sort of like peanut butter and sardines. But hey I figured everyone in the house had been forced to eat it tonight so I really had no room to complain when the microwave bell announced the leftovers were hot. Dad popped it out of the oven and put the plate on the table right in front of me almost like a dare. I paused looking at him to see if he was going to eat anything and prove it was not some sick joke but he showed no signs of this and instead only poured two glasses of milk and took the chair across from me.

"You eat first and I will bring you up to date on family gossip, okay?" He asked with a smile.

I smiled and nodded in response before attacking the plate of food, everything but the meatloaf at first that is. Like I said I was hungry and the potatoes and vegetables looked normal at least. I guess Amanda's cooking class had not progressed to Potatoes Au Raisin Bran or Green Beans Rice Krispies.

My dad spent the next ten minutes covering all the key aspects of family gossip. His business was expanding now that he was able to focus on it completely so this was making money a little less tight so college funds were starting to fill up. I ignored the blatant hint by stuffing more potatoes in my mouth at that point.

Daniel, of course, was helping out in the business most of the time and had recently become explosive certified for demolitions. I knew that this was actually part of the strategy he had offered to Karrin saying how you never knew when such experience might come in handy, such as for shutting down tunnels from the Undercity and all if the Fomor became a bigger threat. To the best of my knowledge he had not begun stockpiling dynamite to end up on the FBI's radar or anything.

In addition to her advanced classes in cooking with breakfast cereals, Amanda's first communion was coming up and of course it was my parents' hope that I would be able to attend. I of course made a non-committal promise to try which my dad understood though this created an awkward moment of silence that I tried to get around by inadvertently tasting the meatloaf which was by that point the only thing still on my plate.

Okay it certainly was not the worst thing I had ever eaten though the flavor of Fruit Loops did not immediately mix well with the tomato sauce. On the other hand it was not gag reflex engaging and since I was still hungry I polished this off as well as the conversation wandered through my remaining siblings who were most engaged in school activities and turned at last to Maggie.

"She is an absolute joy and it has lifted your mother's spirits to have another little girl in the house to fuss over." My dad reported as proudly about his newly adopted daughter as he would about any of those of his blood. Of course that is not surprising considering who her father was, though I doubt that even played a factor in the love both he and my mom had for her.

"Has she had…nightmares?" I asked carefully trying to broach a sensitive subject after pushing the empty plate away and then finishing off my milk before noting my father's smile at my eating efforts.

"At first when she came to us she would wake up whimpering and crying, not screaming, but just terrified to near heart-stopping panic. Of course your mother or I would hold her and rock her until she fell back to sleep. I never got to do that much with the rest of you." Dad replied. "I can only imagine though what she went through to have such dreams."

Had anyone else said that statement I would have told them they could not have imagined, but dad had fought face to face with evils like the Denarians so in truth he did have some level of understanding that others would not. It seemed to make Father Forthill's decision of where to place Maggie all the more correct when looked at under this light for few if any foster families would have had this type of experience for Maggie.

"She is over them now then?" I asked realizing he had said 'at first' rather than something that indicated it was a continuing condition.

"Yes." He replied happily. "I think having Mouse close by when she sleeps makes her feel secure." He explained and I had to agree that two hundred pounds of shaggy protector probably did provide a subconscious level of comfort. "Plus kids her age are rather resilient so I suspect that if whatever she faced does not come for her again she will soon forget all about it."

"You do not have to worry about that happening." I said without any doubts. "The Red Court is for all purposes destroyed by the very spell they planned to unleash upon Harry. From what I have heard all of their bloodline were destroyed so they won't be coming here. If any do still exist they are probably hiding in the deepest holes they can find."

The words I said made me suddenly realize something odd. If the spell released by Susan's death had been a blood curse why hadn't it killed Maggie too? Okay she was not a Red Court vampire, but at the time of conception her mother had been a half vampire so Red Court blood was likely a part of Maggie's makeup as well as that of her wizard father.

Furthermore as best I could tell from what the White Council reported all the less powerful and partial vampires that had been at the temple in Mexico or around the world had been killed by the blood curse spell as well which meant that the magic killed off all those with a blood connection and not only those fully converted. At least that is what it appeared to be to me.

Yet Maggie was alive and the spell had not harmed her; a child of the being killed first to release the curse.

My dad noted my confusion and I took a moment to explain the situation to him, not expecting an answer to this riddle, but maybe insight on what I was overlooking. I should have known that of course he would fall back to the most direct and simplest answer in our household.

"Obviously it was God's will Molly." He said with complete faith that this was the solution I was seeking. Oddly enough though Harry had trained me to understand magic worked along a given set of laws much the way that physics did, the answer of this being an issue purely of faith seemed right to me at that moment at least. In an hour or a week I may come back to it again, or maybe never, but at that moment I could not deny the simplest answer for otherwise inexplicable results discussed in the Carpenter household seemed the most likely.

"So how are you doing Molly?" My dad asked in a light tone but I could sense in his emotions the underlying concern and worry he carried for me. That was probably the hardest thing to deal with and what I had hoped to avoid with a quick departure.

"I am fine dad." I said a little too quickly and defensively because I really did not want to explain that in the last thirty-six hours or so I had been in four life and death battles, which I had to admit was a bit of a spike even for me. As I figured it parents tended to worry too much anyway and the truth coupled with visible injuries would not help him relax. I took a quick mental inventory and was bolstered by the fact that other than a few scratches on my hands from road rash all my other fading bruises and injuries were not currently visible because of the jeans and long sleeves.

"That is good to know." He said seemingly accepting my analysis which set off every warning in the world for me. "So you were not involved in that supposed UFO sighting and aerial battle downtown today then or that gunfight out at the golf course that made the news?" He asked just a little too calmly to not suspect some sort of connection.

"Aliens?" I asked. "Really dad I have more than enough on my plate with just the magic aspects of the world without going looking for trouble with Mars or anything." I said trying to keep the subject light. Yeah that so was not a winning strategy. So of course I doubled down. "And golf is not a sport I plan on taking up anytime soon." I said with a plaster smile; certainly not after almost getting eighteen holes in myself!

"Okay let me approach this subject from a different angle." He said slowly, obviously not fully convinced of my innocence, and with a sense of concern that only a parent can have. "When is the last time you went to church?" He asked and before I could whip off a quip on being there just last week – and not mentioning it had been for a place to sleep one night – he raised his hand to interrupt me.

"When was the last time you made your confession?" He asked taking the conversation to a truly personal place.

"It has been a few weeks dad." I said though a quick tally told me months would have been the more accurate answer in this case. The subject, however, also made me more defensive than it should have.

"Molly, you need…" He began and I admit that with everything else going on in my life and the stress of the last thirty-six hours I let those three words and what I knew was coming next get to me. Being feared by others who do not know me was part of the plan. I expected more from those who did.

"Dad, no matter what you may have heard I am not the monster some are making me out to be." I said letting that particular door open wide for once instead of keeping it locked down like I normally do. Like I said this line of questioning hurt coming from my dad of all people and I just was not strong enough to take it without firing something back.

"Yes I have fought and yes others have died, but only by my hand when it was truly an act of self-defense which the last time I checked was still not a sin." I said overly defensively and with my voice rising just a bit that I worried it might wake the others.

I quickly toned it back down to soft conversation levels as I did not want to face my mother also. "Surely you of all people should understand that." The tears of joy I had felt earlier were now ones of seeming betrayal as my father looked at me obviously holding back all of his own conflicted emotions. Sure I was not, nor would I ever, be a Knight of the Cross, but damn it I was trying to help others as best I could with the gift that God had given me. Why did no one see that?

"If you will let me finish now Molly…" He said patiently and I have to admit it took all of my will not to get up and flee before hearing whatever would come next or losing it even more and saying something else I know I would regret later, I just nodded my head for him to continue.

"What I was trying to say before this little venting was that you need to make the time for confession if you continue to put yourself out there in these dangerous situations to protect others." He said taking the words away from the accusation I was expecting. "When I was a Knight of the Cross before every mission I was assigned by God I made sure to take confession to clear my conscious of that issue." He took a breath before continuing.

"I found in my own battles that at odd times my mind would sometimes become distracted by question or concerns such as had I remembered to pay the mortgage, had I checked Daniel's homework the night before, or had I told you enough times that your Daddy loved you no matter what…" He said and this evoked memories of him always coming and hugging me and telling me those exact words before he would drive off on one of his 'trips.'

"Occasionally little memories of those we love give us added strength in battles against those who do not know love." He explained. "I cannot count the number of times thoughts of your mom, your brothers and sisters, or just picturing your face Molly gave me the strength to get through some rather terrible situations." He admitted and then paused.

"There were also other times that even little distractions might have made my response in a fight just an instant slower than was required at that moment." He conceded as well. "That is why I always made sure that I did pay the mortgage bill, I did help with homework, or I did tell you I loved you no matter what before I went out so that I gave myself the best chance of coming back to you and our family." He explained.

"Confession for people called to service in His name is just another of those little things on the to do list." He said with a smile. "I cannot tell you how proud I am knowing you are out there taking up where my friend Harry left off. You are also my first born child Molly so no matter what others may say I know what is in your heart and that you are not capable of the things you have been accused of anymore than Harry was the evil wizard some in their ignorance liked to claim."

"As your father I am asking you to take confession for my own greedy purposes." He said. "I want to know you are doing everything not to get distracted so you can come back to us… to your old man." He said with a smile that spoke volumes in understanding himself that he had aged. "And I also want to know that if God decides that this reunion is not to be, that you are welcomed into his arms where you belong." He finished.

My tears of betrayal had turned to little girl tears I had not shed in many, many years. My dad did understand me and more importantly he still had faith and trust in me when few others did. He also offered me his unconditional love once more. We both rose from the table and I hugged him fiercely as he patted my back and let me release and cry out what I had been holding inside me for far too long.

After a time that could have been seconds to hours I pulled back and looked up into his loving eyes and nodded in consent to his request. "Do you think Father Forthill is awake at this hour for a confession?" I asked knowing the old priest would never turn down one of his flock in need.

"I will call him and tell him you are coming over." Daddy said as he kissed my forehead, gave me a last hug, and then watched me leave to go back to the fight in the same manner that I had watched him do so throughout my entire childhood. I wondered at that moment which of us, child or parent, had it harder letting the other go…


	11. Chapter 11

**Honor's Debt**

**_Tuesday After Midnight _**

**_Chapter 11_**

As I drove over to St. Mary of the Angels church where Father Forthill had baptized me, I'd gone to Sunday school, taken my first communion, and performed all of my confessions I had to admit my father's view on removing unnecessary potential distractions was probably the correct one. I also understood he had faced his own share of demons, literally not just figuratively in his case, and lived to speak of it so his advice was not merely that of an academic but someone truly experienced and should be considered all that much more valid for this knowledge.

Believe it or not though I may project a rather rebellious nature, since I have come into my power as an apprentice I certainly have a much stronger appreciation for my religion and the moral grounding it provides. Sure I chafe at some of the rules of my religion, just like I occasionally do with the Laws of Magic, but I do understand and support the purposes both serve.

I figured also in addition to making my confession the church might also serve as the right place to call in additional help to our cause. Churches, especially the older ones, were often built upon site of power such as mystic gateways or ley lines. Anyone who had ever entered St. Mary's, even if they did not possess even a spark of magical ability, certainly could feel the power flowing through the place but most likely ascribed this feeling to the hundred years of prayers that had occurred beneath the roof. Through my lessons in magic, I understood that there was power infused into the very bricks of the building much like that of a family home's threshold and therefore those with evil intent should tread lightly when in the shadows of this imposing structure of faith or face certain consequences.

The great doors at the front of the church were closed but as I turned my car into the parking lot I noted the side door stood invitingly open and the familiar form of Father Forthill was silhouetted against the light shining from behind him. He was dressed in his formal priestly robes to perform my confession but this did not stop him from giving me a supportive fatherly hug around my shoulder as I met him at the door. This probably violated some form of church propriety but as he had been a part of my life since I had started my life I figured it was completely natural.

"I had been praying you would find your way here Margaret." He said obviously relieved to see me.

"I often want to come by father but I can't chance the danger that I would place you in if I do too often." I replied letting him know that my absence was for love not a lack thereof.

"The Church has faced bigger threats in its two thousand years than those who seek you child." He said with a chuckle. "What kind of church would be worthy of your dedication if we did not willingly accept a little risk on behalf of protecting your mortal soul?" He asked with a smile right back. I have no doubt had the Devil himself appeared Father Forthill would wear that exact same smile as he tried to convert Satan.

That blatant statement of his undeniable faith, faith in God but also faith in whatever will come is all part of God's plan was comforting to me and yet scary at the same time. I guess I had become so used to surviving that I had forgotten to enjoy the gifts I had been given or to trust in things greater than myself. Here I was only two steps into the church and I was already being strengthened in my spirit.

"So shall we get onto business and get your confession over with?" He asked leading me into the church proper and toward the dark wooden confessional.

"I hope you do not expect this to take all night or anything." I said a little defensively but still with a tone of underlying humor. "I promise you will not even need to take notes!"

"Not at all." He responded waving away my concerns. "I just have a rather comfortable bed calling to my old bones that I would like to get back to as soon as I might. I am sure you have your own agenda as well though I did make up the spare room for you to get some rest first once your father said you would be dropping by. There is also a small duffle on the desk filled with sandwiches and fruit along with a thermos of hot soup for you to take along, when and if you decide you have to leave."

"I don't know what to say beyond thank you Father." That was all I could say in response to his overwhelming generosity and he seemed to understand what was in my heart.

He waved me off with his customary devil may care smile. "No matter what other penance you may be assigned tonight, I will place upon you here and now a demand that none of that food goes to waste Margaret." He said letting that smile grow even more. "The body is a temple for the soul and you need to pay a little more attention to yours before you waste away."

He paused in front of the dark stained closet-like structures. "If you really want to save me costs do not worry so much about the food and worry more about the paraffin." He said.

"Huh?"

"Candles child." He smiled. "Every Sunday and Wednesday your mother has every member of your family light a candle for you. Do you have any idea how many of you Carpenters there are so how much that costs? And that does not even count the potential fire dangers. Really Molly, stop by once in a while won't you?"

"Yes Father." I said again with contrition as I let him take his place in the confessional before entering the other side.

Yeah I know there are some of you out there who are probably all interested in just what sins I was confessing but I will tell you right now that I am not providing that level of detail. I will, for the sake of my reputation, let you know that those related to lust or coveting were not on the scorecard for tonight's events.

Believe it or not, and regardless of whatever bodice ripping novels or warped fan fictions you may have read, when you are engaged in a continual life and death struggle that roamed all across the city and offered you some pretty horrible endings at almost any moment you did not stop, tear off your clothes, and engage in such activities even just to prove you were alive. There is a reason those that did in the Friday the Thirteenth movies always ended up on the end of a sharp metal object.

Sure I had worried about Thomas's seductive powers, I had recognized and appreciated the dreamy Warden Sheik, and I had even been kissed, not poorly as far as technique was concerned, by Johnny Marcone in just the past couple of days, but none of those had resulted in me having lustful thoughts deserving of confession. So if you were looking for that type of momentary distraction I suggest you get back to your Fifty Shades of Gray and leave those little things like keeping the City of Chicago alive and free from the Fomor to the rest of us.

As far as penances go this was actually one of my lighter ones, regardless of what my reputation as the Rag Lady suggested. As I explained the deaths I had been around and my role in each Father Forthill dismissed these one after the other as self-defense or in the active defense of others and therefore not actually mortal sins. I was also paying for my food and shelter rather than stealing.

In the end my list was taking the Lord's name in vain mostly, which he even agreed was probably not surprising considering what I had been through when doing so. He recommended I spend a bit more effort calling on Jesus rather than just calling out Jesus and I agreed to try.

For his part I must also say that Father Forthill never doubted for a moment what I said, either in his words, tone, or the emotions he projected. When he asked me if there was anything else I wished to confess at the end it was a standard delivered question from his experience as a priest and not one subtly seeking to know if I had indeed braided the intestines of some Fomor agents.

"Don't forget part of your penance is to eat young lady." Father Forthill tried to speak authoritatively to me but his smile gave away his underlying concern for my health.

"I won't Father." I said.

"Good." He replied. "Is there anything else I can help with Molly or can this old many now retire for the night before the sun actually rises and makes me have to admit to my housekeeper that I did not sleep well this evening." I noticed he had also softened to Molly instead of the more formal Margaret which made me comfortable enough, just barely, to ask a request.

I nodded but stopped him with a hand on his forearm before he shuffled away. "Father, I need your permission to cast a pair of spells to try and gather information and perhaps allies to our cause." I said by way of an introduction to my issue. "Would it be okay if…"

He smiled in immediate understanding. "As long as you are not summoning Old Scratch to come visit I think the Church will understand your need and not look down upon you for it."

"No nothing like that." I said defensively and then hoped of course I was right.

"Fine Molly." He said leaning in and kissing my forehead. "Continue to walk with God child." He said and then turned around leaving me to perform the non-eating portion of my penance and then make my way to the guest room while he went to his own quarters.

Ten minutes later I was sitting on the made up spare bed holding the small ivory or bone queen chess piece in my hand and closing my eyes to attune the feel of it to my magic. I had never used this chess piece in this way before but understood when I had first received it that it was meant as my personally 911 system to call upon friends if I ever found the need. After a day of being out thought and almost out fought I figured that justified a reasonable need worthy of its use.

Magic, like religion, is mostly about belief and faith so even though I was unfamiliar with what to do specifically to cast a communication spell, the mere action of pulling in magic and focusing it upon the piece worked like dialing a cell phone. The magic activated the object and even allowed me to hear a distant ringing, though in truth that was likely my own imagination using magic to fill in the gaps. I did in those first moments sense, however, that my selection of a location to make the call from had been inspired; not because it was a church, but rather that the church sat upon a ley line.

So not only by being there was I able to easily draw power without wearing myself out, but also the power I released immediately joined back in with the line of magic and raced off to find the intended target in much the same way as old copper lines did this with telephone calls. It should be noted that magic, like light and other forms of energy, moves at the speed of light and therefore my 'call' was halfway around the world in an instant.

After two 'rings' the other side seemed to connect and a familiar voice spoke back to me. "You have reached the residence of Lord Kline." The voice said almost mechanically. "I deeply regret that the Lord is unable to take you call at this time…" The voice droned on making me almost lose my concentration as I stared at the chess piece wondering how he had built an answering machine into his magic.

"Stop your incessant pranks you uncultured savage!" A second and also familiar voice now came upon the line as well drowning out whatever else Lord Kline was saying. This immediately changed over to the distinctive sounds of a troll's barking laugh which if you have never heard, and I am assuming most have not as you haven't been eaten alive, has a rather disturbing aspect to it on a basic human level.

"You must excuse him Molly." Hisha, otherwise know to others as the rakshasa Vibhishana apologized in his cultural English with the distinctive accent of the India or Pakistan area of the world. "Since his rebirth Gronk's body has matured but I fear that parts of his mind remain that of a child. Such pranks like this one are far too common for him these days."

"First of all I will have you know that were we not confined to living in this shanty excuse for a hovel…" Lord Kline stopped laughing and jumped back into the conversation.

"This is the finest palace in all of India." Hisha defended with a sense of wounded pride.

"I rest my case; hovel." Lord Kline continued. "…then I would not be forced to seek my mild entertainments and amusements where I can. Also it has been two years or more since I have even attempted to jest with anyone as I only have you for company and you have no actual sense of humor to speak of you tangerine dressed heathen."

For those unfamiliar with my friends Lord Kline was an approximate ten foot tall troll with all the green grey rubbery skin of his kind and the fearsome visage that the Brothers Grimm made popular in their occasional artwork. He also was known for wearing virgin wool suits made personally for him by the best tailors on Savoy street in London and has sipped tea at one time or another, Earl Grey being his preferred choice, with every royal family around the world if you are willing to believe his stories.

"You would ridicule the religious attire of a holy man by comparing him to a vegetable?" Hisha's voice challenged right back as it rose in indignation. Hisha, his full name being Vibhishana, was a rakshasa which was an equally mythical creature looking in his natural state like a mix of a tiger and a man, but normally took on the appearance of a close friend or at least as in my case a non-threatening persona.

"Tangerines are fruits you Philistine." Lord Kline came back. "And just because you can balance yourself upside down on one hand and chant so poorly you scare away mountain goats, that does not qualify you as any more of a holy man than Lindsay Lohan may be considered a great artist."

"Ah how dare you compound your ignorance by defaming the great performer of Harvey the Love Bug." Hisha said making me wonder how and or why a rakshaha would watch that particular movie.

"That is Herbie you fraud."

"Guys, guys…" I interrupted knowing that if I did not I would probably be here for days debating the spiritual virtues of a Volkswagen. Of course Harry might have found that conversation entertaining.

"Ah yes Ms. Carpenter my apologies for our mild distraction onto subject better handled at another time." Lord Kline said as smoothly and with the same delivery as the original M is all the older James Bond movies which was probably part of their eclectic DVD collection. "I cannot say how pleased I am by your call."

"Which is of course why you tried to pretend you were an answering machine…" Hisha called out from the background not ready to drop the banter completely it seems.

"Go chant at a mountain goat!" The troll called back equally light hearted, which for a troll means it probably would have killed any human with a heart condition. They would have descended into more of this friendly banter had I not interrupted again; and I only did so because I did not know how many rollover minutes this magical call was charging against my plan and I still had another one to make.

"Guys, focus please." I said politely like a school teacher scolding a fifth grade class of boys.

"Of course." Lord Kline immediately responded. "Once more you have my apology. So what can I attribute to this rather pleasant and unexpected diversion?"

Some sort of rude bodily noise sounded in the background but I chose to speak over it before the two of them continued on. "I think my friends and I are up against a magical cabal that is not only incredibly powerful but now it seems also led by a rather strategic thinker with the ability to position some rather unique pieces around the board. I have just escaped death three times in the past twenty-four hours or so I am a bit frazzled to say the least."

I let the image I drew sink in knowing that it was just the type of thing to peek their interests. "I was hoping I might be able to draw upon the talents of the two of you to help me counter this particular threat. Strategic thinking is of course your specialty." In fact both of my friends were registered chess grandmasters and spent much of their time engaging each other in rather epic bouts.

"Hisha would be challenged to out think a coat hanger, but I would be happy to allow him to come along because I know you have a pet-like fondness for him. He could perform as my rather poor excuse for my man Friday as I assist you with your problem." Lord Kline agreed.

"Fool of a troll it is only Tuesday today." Hisha responded. "You have not the intelligence to read a calendar so it must be I that assists Molly against her diabolic foe."

"It is a term of endearment for a capable servant, which I admit is a stretch for your capabilities but none the less I offer you this title all the same first made popular in Daniel Dafoe's _Robinson Caruso_." Lord Kline seemed to be getting irritated.

"Spiderman's foe the Green Goblin was also Robinson Caruso?" Hisha asked in obvious confusion.

"NOT WILLIAM DAFOE!"

"Guys?" I said interrupting their banter again which was like throwing a bucket of ice water on their raging fires.

"Molly, my associate the Green Goblin and I shall make our way to you as quickly as possible." Hisha said referring derogatorily to the color of his companion's skin. There was the sound of smashing wood and breaking glass in the background but Hisha continued on as if there was nothing out of the ordinary; which in truth it most likely was not. "Please keep yourself safe until our arrival." He said followed by a rather large smashing and ripping sound and then the spell of communication ended abruptly.

Part of me was of course immediately concerned by the abrupt ending of the call, however as the troll and rakshasa each had a rather rapid healing ability to call upon I figured there was little chance of long-term damages. This was good because I had need of both of them as whole and healthy as could be if I had a war to fight.

I put the chess piece away and drew out the four black velvet bags and held them in my hand as I contemplated my next move. It was risky, perhaps even illegal as far as the White Council was concerned. Not that they needed any additional charges for me since I was still under a death sentence and it is not like they could kill me twice or anything. Still there was a moral question of whether I was needlessly endangering myself in my pursuit of support. But again the need of the situation outweighed the risks as far as I could measure it so I clutched the bag in my hand as I drew on more ley line magic to fill me up to make the next call.

"Barter?" I spoke his name softly aloud.

Suddenly the room around me exploded with the sounds of music, what may have been a kazoo, a tambourine, and drums though I was so shocked by the effect that my mind was hardly registering it or able to separate the various instruments. I knew at once that I was not in any particular mortal danger and that this was merely a manifestation of the same song playing spell that I liked to cast to throw off my potential opponents, but still having it cast at me was a bit of a disconcerting change.

The music was definitely a throwback to earlier times and would likely have been perfectly at home among Harry's collection though I cannot recall if he had this on a 45rpm or not. While popular for its time and on the oldies stations, it was one that no modern band was planning to cover that I knew of. Now go ahead and strike the lyrics.

"_When I die and I'm able to rest…_

_Going to go to the place that's the best…_

_When they lay me down to die…_

_Going up to the Spirit in the Sky…"_

Barter improved on my spell with a benign visual illusion component adding a ghostly choir that took form hovering over the small desk table off on the side of my room. They individual members, there were a dozen in three rows, were only about two feet tall and floating on air but all were appropriately dressed in white church choir robes and swayed together back and forth clapping their hands in time with the music making my little rest area a Southern Baptist revival in the heart of a Catholic Church.

"_Going up to the Spirit in the Sky…"_

_(Spirit in the Sky…) _Of course the chorus sounded heavenly.

"_It's where I'm going to go when I die…_

_(When I die)_

_When I die and I'm able to rest…_

_I'm going to go to the place that's the best…"_

At this point the music began to fade and the door to the rest of the church slowly opened and revealing Barter standing outside with a big warm and friendly smile on his face as he stepped into the room as my spell had obviously invited him here. That may have been an inadvertent mistake on my part as I lost the benefit of a church's threshold of sanctuary but he did not appear to pose a current threat to my health based on his smile.

"MOLLY!" He said with a warm tone of greeting that could not be faked and plopped himself down in the room's chair that sat by the desk/table but still facing me in the rather small room. Thankfully the ghostly choir had faded away as well so I did not have their swaying distracting me. "How is my favorite Chicago wizard apprentice?" He asked in a tones almost like that of a big protective uncle.

"Hello Barter." I said trying to catch my bearings though warming up again to his mere presence. I had met Barter a few years ago as he pursued reclaiming a rather special watch he had made for some rather unsavory people. While he was willing to trade almost anything, he had felt that the watch needed to come back under his control and had hired me to acquire it for him from the same unsavory people.

I understand how some might therefore think that by his dealing with such people he was probably not a positive spirit. I had tried to figure that out as well at one point in my studies though that had been a near dead end. From my few hints I understood he was some sort of power, probably faerie though not aligned to either court, who traded with mortals much as the way Harry had dealt with neutral faeries who were dedicated merely to the hunt. Barter was not 'good' by the standard definition of the word, but then again he was not 'evil' either. He was merely Barter.

"Did you like my entrance? I composed the concept on the fly especially for you." He asked obviously seeking my approval which was in and of itself pretty funny. "I figured since you had taken up this approach over the past few months I would honor you with it as well."

"You went with Norman Greenbaum?" I asked with a snicker. "What made you select that one hit wonder?"

"I figured a song with religious undertones was appropriate given the location you selected for this meeting." Okay he had me there. I probably would have gone with U2 and _When Love Came to Town_ myself, but those with magic abilities are allowed their own picks where personal preferences for music come into play.

"Furthermore is it really fair to pick on my selection of a one-hit wonder when you just recently used Paper Lace's _The Night Chicago Died_?" He asked tilting his head. "Like you dealing with Mr. Marcone, the song fit the tone of the meeting and was not meant to reflect your personal tastes."

"Okay touché." I offered. "I guess I just did not think of you as having such a wide music repertoire."

"Why not?" He asked seemingly mockingly offended. "Do you know the number of music artists willing to trade anything for even a single hit on the charts as _Spirit in the Sky_?" He asked with a look of dead seriousness in his face.

"You are kidding right?" I asked. "You do not actually trade musical success on top forty songs do you?" I always did wonder how local radio stations selected the songs they played. If this deal making were true it did go a long way in explaining how things like _Ice Ice Baby_ ever made it on the charts. I waited for an answer.

"Unfortunately I cannot take credit for the popularity of specific songs." He said finally letting the seriousness drop from his face. "It is not that I would not make such trades, only that there is a Greek Muse with that particular portfolio and out of a sense of professional courtesy I don't expand my business interests in that particular area but instead refer my clients to her." He explained quite casually.

The idea that there were magical beings playing such games made me shake my head but then something else he had said during the mix came back to the forefront of my mind at that point.

"Wait a minute." I held up my hand. "How do you know I used a song by Paper Lace just yesterday? Are you following me around or something?" Faerie godmothers are one thing, Faerie stalkers another.

"No my dear I most certainly am not." He said with a laugh that was almost infectious. "In my position, that would be considered an action that broached the ethical line."

"So then how do you know?" I asked because being spied on when you are on the run is not a good thing.

He looked at me and then sighed. "I know you have some level of magical studies, but during any of that were you ever made aware of the Archives?" He asked.

"Sure, I know Ivy." I answered. "In fact I have helped save her life on one occasion."

"No, I am afraid that is a being you call 'The Archive' not The Archives that I am speaking of." He corrected my misunderstanding. "However, as she has some connection to what I speak of she is a good starting point. Ivy, as you call her, is an embodiment of all human understanding. Think of her then as the science fiction section of a bookstore or library; something dedicated to a sole topic or area of interest. The Archives, therefore, are much the same but on a universal scale of experiences beyond just humans. It is the entire bookstore, or more aptly in your experience – The Library of Congress."

"You mean there is some physical place where all knowledge is stored or there a bunch of Ivys running around with all this knowledge but each specialized to their own subjects?" I asked. Wow that could be an incredibly valuable resource to the world.

"The one you know of as Ivy is unique. To my knowledge there are no other living embodiments of understanding except for your kind." Barter understood immediately by the look on my face what else I was thinking in this area. "And unfortunately to get a library card for this place location you have to have a certain level of power Molly and more importantly wisdom on the use of power. I am afraid humans and most other beings you would be familiar with do not quite qualify for access. Your friend Ivy of course is a limited exception and even then she is restricted on what she is allowed to speak of with that knowledge and what is forbidden."

"But back to your original question, humans may be barred from access but you are still part of The Archives as quite popular subjects of course." He said with a chuckle.

The tone and laugh communicated his meaning quite clearly but I still wanted additional confirmation on what I was hearing. "Please tell me that you are not talking about me being some part of these archives." I said with a look of sudden understanding.

He nodded his head enthusiastically. "Indeed there are currently three complete, I guess you would call them volumes, dedicated to your personal exploits. They are so popular in fact that they have garnered a rather intriguing following of powerful beings. Your current dilemma has many of us also intrigued with what choices you will make in the coming days. In fact a few of us even make wagers on some aspects."

"WHAT?"

"Why does this seem so odd?" He asked without any emotion registering on his face or senses. "Humans read books about others so why should others not read about humans? And really before you judge you should see the illustrations. I was not too thrilled about Pirate Molly when I first saw it, but I have to admit that the artist did catch not only your eyes but the essence of a raging storm as well."

A wave of warmth rolled over me and I just about blew a gasket at the idea and then realized that the purpose of all this was designed just to yank my chain. He sat there with just a little too much calm. "You almost had me with that." I said taking a deep breath and then laughing quietly as a demonstration of my willingness to share his jest.

"Really?" He said with a real sense of surprise. "Whatever was it that gave me away?"

"You were too protective of your facial expression." I said honestly. "If I had been telling the same story I would have smiled when I told it, or seemed perplexed that I was shocked. You showed nothing of the kind."

I could see him replaying the events in his mind and wondered if at his level of power he had the benefit of instant replay memory or some such. "Ah, that was very perceptive my dear. You have most certainly grown in your powers." Barter now smiled and nodded in approval of my deduction.

Another thought came to mind. "Wait a minute, I thought Faeries were not allowed to lie." I said seeming to have trapped him.

"Indeed they are not." He confirmed. "But I did not actually lie. As your famous television and movie icon Mr. Spock once said, I merely exaggerated a bit. I promise you the The Archives and the stories do indeed exist, as does the following over your current adventure, it was merely the graphics that I chose to tease you about. I could have went with full motion video but I thought that a stretch." He explained and while I wanted to call him out more on this, what he said changed my train of thought to more important things.

"Wait a minute, it you are able to follow my 'current adventure' then you also know what it is my friends and I are up against don't you?" I asked realizing the implications of this even if I used the term 'friends' rather loosely to include the entire alliance. "For example you know if there was indeed a powerful being that came here from Asia in the last seventy-two hours and if so what it is we are facing."

"I do." He confirmed. "But you must understand that this knowledge is not mine to share."

"Oh please!" I said. "Don't tell me that there is some immortals' code or Prime Directive on sharing the future with lower life forms or anything like that. All you higher level beings may think we are merely here for your entertainment and worship but our lives matter as much to us as yours do to you. These stupid codes cost lives, and in this case potentially ones that I care a lot about!"

"Well yes I agree." Barter said a little uncomfortably. "But you sort of have it wrong. I'd be happy to share certain aspects of the future with you. For example I have no problem telling you what tomorrow's winning Illinois lottery numbers will be, for a price of course. I just can't offer you any direct help with your current mission because then I would lose my bet."

"YOUR BET?" Okay I admit I freaked a bit at this.

"Indeed." He said a bit sheepishly. "You see there is this former Mayan power, his name does not translate really well in your language, who sits all day staring at his pocket watch. He is particularly proud of that watch even though all it seems to do is run backwards toward the end of days. That is the original reason why I wanted you to recover mine so I could show him what a proper quality timepiece looks like." He offered me a smile at that hoping it evoked a pleasant memory. It didn't.

"Anyway he and I have a running bet over the success of your current endeavors with the stakes being our watches and it would be a violation of that bet if I were to assist you too much. I would therefore forfeit and lose my watch again." Barter explained.

"However, if I get a hold of his watch I plan to reset the calendar that he has been waiting forever. It will infuriate those among your kind counting down with him." Okay I was not a Mayan calendar theorist, but the idea that there was a stopwatch counting it down made me feel less than comfortable than I had been. Add to that the idea of winning my current fight just to see the Earth destroyed in the near future did not seem like a very good trade.

"That said I can provide you less specific information on your cause…for a reasonable price of course." Barter smiled.

"Less specific?" I asked.

"Sure." He replied. "If you were say to want to know the three most powerful types of beings in Asia…" He stomped his foot as a less than subtle signal. "…who might consent to travel here then I am merely providing you background information only that in all likelihood could locate just as well with some time dedicated to your own research or by asking your skull-bound spirit of knowledge Bob."

I thought on this and realized that narrowing the possibilities was indeed better than nothing and seemed like the best I was going to get under the bet conditions working behind the scenes. But of course when dealing with Faeries or other powerful beings, it was the sales price for the goods they offered that was always the most important. "What do you want in exchange?" I asked skeptically and swore to myself that if he said anything about me dressing like a pirate this conversation was over.

"Since I am offering three pieces of information, I will merely ask three from you as an even exchange." He said in response that I also found quite reasonable. "Since I hate having to wait for new chapters of your story to appear in The Archives how about three things related to your future plans at this point?" He asked as an initial offer.

That seemed fair since, as he said, the information would be available to him in the near future anyway. "I think I can agree to that." I accepted his deal with a nod followed by a handshake. "Should I begin?"

"It is customary in my business to receive payment for the offered goods as a show of good faith. Far too often those wanting wishes granted are less than pleased with the actual results of their choices and then refuse to pay." Barter explained and then settled in more comfortably in the chair to listen to what I had to say. "Understand Molly that even though I do care for you, if you tell me something that I know to be extremely dangerous for you, I cannot provide you that information and change your course for you." He said making sure I understood the conditions of what was to happen.

"I do." I said simply.

"Then please proceed." He said with a smile.

I thought about this for a moment and tried to decide if I had three plans even ones in the conceptual early stages to offer as advice. Since he said that it takes a little time for The Archives to record what had already taken place I figured my first answer was an easy one even if it might be considered cheating under the rules.

"I have reached out to my friends Hisha and Lord Kline to come to my aid in helping counter whatever we are up against." I explained to Barter watching his emotions to see if he was already aware of this. I registered just a hint of surprise but nothing beyond that would indicate he knew of this. "As I figure it I need someone who can think strategically and help me understand what our opponents may be up to and the two of them seem best suited to this to filling this need."

Barter nodded slowly as not to give anything away. "The troll and the rakshasa do offer interesting options to your cause and are certainly a valuable resource in the way you seek to use them." Barter replied while weighing this obviously wanting to say more but unable to. "I compliment you for coming up with such an unexpected course of action in your current situation." He said with a nod of approval.

I sat for a moment thinking over the next option to provide him. In truth my plan was pretty much stopped at this point, which is the whole reason for making these two magic phone calls in the first place, so I went with the next thing that popped into mind for me as a reasonable possibility.

"I am going to talk to Karrin Murphy about taking up Marcone's on his idea of rejoining the police force." I said deciding at that moment that talking with her about this in no way was going to equate me to pushing her to do so. I knew Karrin was probably beating herself up as she weighed the options on this and if anything I could provide a sounding board for her to argue the pros and cons. It's not like I was not in the exact same boat of weighing which of my codes I was willing to compromise for making things better.

"Most excellent." Barter agreed with a nod. "The police would indeed offer valuable reinforcements for your efforts if they were brought off the sidelines. This would certainly complicate things innumerably for the other side." That was perhaps more support than he should offer to an idea that was only just sprouting in my head but I accepted it and moved on to…well…to nothing. That was because I did not have any other plans. That is except for…

"Oh, and last I plan to accept the offer for dinner at the Japanese consulate." I said with a smile.

This seemed to confuse Barter and I figured it was good to rattle his chain a bit after he had done so with the Pirate Molly, scourge of the seven seas story. Payback is a bitch and so am I at times!

"Why?" He seemed obviously confused and unable to figure out my reasoning.

I decided I liked having him off balance so I added a twinkle to my eye and a bit of mystery to my voice. "Well a girl has to eat doesn't she? I expect the meal at the consulate to offer me options I would not get at Denny's." I said hinting there was more without that being the truth. Hell if there really was a book in The Archives about me I might as well make him want the next chapter to be published!

He nodded slowly accepting that I had fulfilled my side of the bargain though the look of confusion stayed on his face for sometime after. "Well Molly I wish you luck in your endeavors." He said at last as he put away the confusion and turned instead to his side of the bargain.

"Now for your information. The three most powerful factions in Asia have a long history of rivalry, and might I say are relatively poor clients for me." He said with a playful smile. "The original powers in those lands were of course the elemental dragons whose power rivals that of their western cousins. I warn you, however, they are much more formidable as they stay in the background and manipulate events such as the rise of emperors, Mongol hordes, or creations of the world's greatest deserts. It is said by some that the dragons formed man, though of course many such being claim that rather dubious distinction. They do take direct action when they feel the situation warrants it, or to put one of their schemes back on track."

"Not long after the rise of man came the dragons' most powerful rivals in the form of the Jade Court." Barter moved on.

"I have heard of them." I blurted in. "They are an oriental court of vampires much like the Reds were."

"Yes and no." Barter agreed. "Indeed their origins were much the same as the Red Court, and like their crimson cousins they did in fact raise themselves up as gods over men but that is where the similarities end."

"The Red Court was a blunt weapon at best." Barter continued. "It had individual elements of strength, many times these working against themselves, but in fact relied upon numbers as its true power and influence. From the accounts I read you and your friends faced thousands, perhaps tens of thousands in your mission in Mexico. There were tens of thousands more scattered around the world. This made the Reds a veritable army, but also made them harder to control and their efforts more dispersed and therefore less effective."

"The Jade Court by contrast never numbers more than one hundred and often fewer still. Competence is their unspoken credo and any failing to live up to this standard does not live on." His voice reminded me of the way my former teacher Mr. Goldman used to explain history to us. He provided pure facts but did so with such a love of the subject the listener could not help but become enraptured and learn from his teachings.

"They also weed out the weak among them and create new members only after the loss of one of their own." Barter continued. "A member's position in the Jade Court is dictated by his or her power and every member gives full loyalty to any superior in rank, up to and including willingly surrendering their own lives to the benefits of those above them in the hierarchy. Only on very rare occasions one may challenge a superior if the lower ranked can demonstrate the senior failed to properly honor the Court or their family, which of course in oriental culture is everything. The resulting battle is always to utter destruction not just death and it is a matter of honor."

"After the dragons created the first human emperors, the Court manipulated and subsumed this power through their efforts." Barter explained. "This is why it is known in human history that the Dragon Emperor sits upon the Jade Throne." He paused to let me absorb this data before turning to the final subject.

"The last and often most overlooked power of Asia is Sun Wukong; The Monkey God." Barter explained. "The early powers say Monkey was born from a rock vested with immortal power and went forth to create mischief and havoc among the race of man and the Gods of Asia."

"Understand that his humorous antics in mythology and the stories told of him are his own creations and serve to make others underestimate or even ignore him so Monkey's purposes are rarely discovered until after his goals are achieved. Even then rarely do any of his opponents trace their defeat back to him or the army created in his likeness, rather they often blame the dragons or the Jade Court." Barter said and then paused as if waiting for me to reach understanding of something he could not speak of.

I thought on this and in truth it did not take long. Besides the flying monkeys in Wizard of Oz, which I am pretty sure was not his unspoken goal, there was only really one memorable monkey-related activity I knew of. "Let me guess, the flying demon monkeys with the flaming poo that Harry battled to rescue Mouse were Monkey's army that you are speaking of." I said and Barter smiled and nodded.

"Exactly!" He tipped his hat. "Temple Dogs have long guarded the most important locations of the other powers in Asia so kidnapping a litter of puppies, which only occur every twenty years or so, was a means to hopefully prevent facing these rather formidable forces in the future. Your former master, however, interfered in these events…"

"…and in doing so likely pissed off Monkey God in the process I bet." I concluded.

"I am free only to say that few beings of power like it when a mortal interferes and disrupts their carefully crafted plans." Barter said letting the smile slide away from his face which I took as a not so subtle warning.

"Okay then." I said as I tried to reflect on the information that Barter had provided to me. "I guess our business is completed?"

"It is indeed Molly Carpenter." Barter said with a hint of mock sadness in his voice. "I very much hope that we can do further business in the future, but of course you have issues to attend to and I have others to deal with as well." He stood up and began to make his way to the door.

"But if I want to deal again?" I asked.

He turned to look at me with a smile. "You need only call Molly." He said. "You are forever on the top of my client list." And with that he stepped through the doorway and vanished. Not stepping to the side, not putting up a veil, just vanished in midair.

"Thanks Barter." I whispered and then wondered just how I was going to explain to Karrin that we might have to prepare ourselves for enemies armed with flaming monkey poo. I mean really, that is just not an easy conversation to begin with your friends.


	12. Chapter 12

**Honor's Debt**

**_Tuesday Afternoon _**

**_Chapter 12_**

I slept, I mean I really slept, for the first time in weeks where I could actually relax and feel safe and just let myself go for once. Normally I get quick naps in, never really getting much more than an opportunity to let my body heal and build up my energy reserves. Occasionally, such as when I rent a hotel room or my brief stay at Raith Manor, I fall into exhaustion as my body and mind shut down completely and I go into a state of near hibernation for six to eight hours.

But after Barter left and I crawled under the covers I fell into a blissfully calm and relaxing sleep probably much the same as Maggie regularly enjoyed under my parents' roof. Maybe it was a combination of feeling safe for once combined with the physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion from my trials and tribulations over the past few days but it had a completely different feel than my internal shut downs. I guess what was most relaxing was that it felt so innocent for once.

I do not know how else to describe it. I felt like a child again, warm and comforted, protected in my father's arms as he carried me to bed. Maybe it was because of me seeing and talking to him again. Maybe it was my confession had lifted the weights and burdens from my soul. Heck maybe it was some subliminal magical sense of being guarded by angels in a church for all I know. Regardless I awoke, slightly more than twelve hours later mind you, as rested and recharged as anytime I could recall since I had returned from Mexico or at least left the hospital. Of course with my luck as Chicago's primary resident wizard protector I was going to need all this energy soon.

I found that Tuesday afternoons in the church were quiet affairs; I observed just a few older ladies quietly praying with their Rosaries who paid me no mind as I made my way out through the front doors this time, taking the remaining sandwiches with me as I promised. In truth there was less than half in the backpack by this point as catching up on sleep also seemed to restore my desire for an equal level of edible nourishment when I awoke. I knew Father Forthill was off on errands, today being one that he like to visit the city orphanages and bring donated clothing and toys to the kids, so there was no one that I felt I had to inform I was departing.

My car was still around the side where I had parked it and I tossed the backpack into the trunk after performing a quick physical and magical scan to see if anyone had tampered with the car such as leaving a calling card like a bomb for an often distracted and hurried perky wizard apprentice. Thankfully there was nothing of the sort so I sat down behind the wheel and started the car as I decided on my next move.

I figured that it would take Hisha and Lord Kline the better part of a day or more to make it here to Chicago even using magical pathways; and longer still if they had to rely upon commercial travel. Therefore, I would leave it to them to let me know somehow when they arrived in town. That left me with my plan to go see Murphy since that served the dual purposes of having my conversation with her about rejoining the police force as well as being on site when the messenger delivered my clothing for this evening's events at the Japanese consulate. As the time drew the evening's festivities closer I found I was less thrilled about attending such an event but really had no reasonable way to bow out of attending.

So Murphy's house was my destination then I decided as I put my car in gear and began driving to the now familiar suburbs. Traffic was normal for Chicago, which of course means probably one out of every four roads I had to take was currently witnessing some form of road construction that always looked suspiciously like five portly older guys standing around watching a sixth guy, almost always the youngest and thinnest, filling a pothole with shovels full of warm asphalt and then pressing it down. I knew from experience that this process pretty much guaranteed that right after the first frost, which had been know to occur as early as September some years, the new patched area would crumble into pebble-sized rubble and be a hole again by next spring. This of course allowed six others to perform this exact same work again next year ensuring in effect job security. Say what you want but you just gotta love government efficiency like that.

I was good at watching for tails and had not observed any on my drive over, but once I neared Murphy's place I figured I let caution be my guide and make sure I was not falling into a trap. I circled a few blocks stopping just long enough to look like I was trying to read addresses and house numbers off of mailboxes or porches while what I was really doing is looking for observation posts. Thankfully there were no moving vans in evidence so I was not worried about a repeat of the thirty millimeter Gatling gun incident again nor from what I saw was anyone out of place.

Between two of my circuits my brother Daniel's truck, the one prominently displaying Carpenter Construction and our home phone number on the side, had parked a few blocks from Murphy's house where one of the existing homes was undergoing renovation. I knew from my dad he was actually working downtown, but this offered a good disguise for anyone wondering why such a vehicle would be here so often. In fact the location was so good for not drawing attention from the locals that I decided to pull in right behind him myself.

I had just turned off my engine when the world around me erupted with what sounded like a hundred police car sirens blaring nearby at once. Actually while that may sound like a literary exaggeration, that count was probably not too far off as many of Chicago's finest raced down the street and through the intersection behind me as I watched for a moment in my rearview mirror not taking my hands off of the steering wheel. It took only a few seconds more for my mind to overcome the shock of this and realize that the high-speed parade was headed straight toward Karrin's house.

I was out of my car and making my way to the corner as another half dozen or so police cruisers also with lights and sirens raced right past me and through the posted stop sign. Karrin's neighborhood was one of the older residential areas of the city so the yards were smaller and the houses closer together but there was still more than enough room to see that the police were using their vehicles to establish two separate cordons with Murphy's house right near the very center.

The outer line seemed to be at a two block radius from the house and the officers stationed out here stent their efforts denying access to cars trying to pass through and ordering people from residences beyond this point to go back into their homes and wait until they were notified it was safe to come out. Maybe one in four people did what they were told.

The inner cordon ring seemed to be composed of two different groups of officers. The first were those in normal patrolman uniforms going door to door on foot and escorting people from their homes to outside the established outer ring. Second and more menacingly the other half of this group was made up of SWAT and explosive ordnance disposal teams all in positions of cover behind their vehicles with weapons pointed directly toward Karrin's house. The emotion of intense anger and fear of these groups of officers I could even feel from three blocks away.

Okay I realized quickly that my choices here were not particularly good ones. I could of course turn around and flee, which probably made the most tactical sense, but of course there was no way I was going to do that knowing my friends were in trouble. At a minimum I had to at least find out what was happening and if possible try to be helpful. Like I said those were my friends in there and I really did not have a whole lot of those.

But of course getting in close was not going to be particularly easy either. Normally I would call up a veil and waltz right past the police lines, but the cops on the outer cordon were pretty alert at the moment so a perky twenty-something who suddenly disappeared right before their eyes would likely draw suspicion. So would me turning and fleeing the scene when everyone else was staying to watch so I was sort of stuck standing here and staring at what was taking place at least for the moment.

That situation took on a foreboding change for the worse as an ominous looking truck without sirens drove up, honked its horn one time, and rolled past the small group of us assembled on the sidewalk watching these events unfold. Much like their SWAT brethren who prominent displayed their title of Special Weapons and Tactics on the sides of their equally dark and sinister vehicles, this truck too was assigned a special, if more ominous, purpose. It read BERT - Biohazard Emergency Response Team.

"What the hell?" I asked as I took note of the changing situation and called up a little magic once I noticed people starting to step away from the sidewalks and back onto their porches while still looking over their shoulders toward Karrin's house. I remembered a few months ago any response other than a single police car pulling up at a home would have been atypical for this neighborhood. Now however, since the Fomor uprising began this neighborhood and specifically Murphy's house had seen drive by shootings and visits after dark by long dark Cadillacs that kept their engines running.

I could only wonder what the neighbors now thought of the occupants of the house that had been home to Karrin's grandmother and then hers for something like a combined fifty years. Word had probably gotten around that she had been removed from the police force. Needless to say the SWAT and BERT trucks parked out front now were not going to improve her standing among the local community.

I took advantage of the momentary distracted situation to drop a mixed illusion and veil over myself as the officers on my side of the cordon turned momentarily away from scanning the crowd and opened up a way for the BERT truck to drive through. To anyone watching from that moment on it looked like I turned, and like many of the other locals here on the street, took the arrival of this vehicle as the perfect reason to leave. This then is exactly what I ordered my illusion to do without showing a sense of panic, but with an obvious desire to be far away from this scene.

When I felt certain the fake me was out of visual range of the officers and none of the other locals were paying too much attention to her, I let the magic of the illusion disappear and Molly-two faded from sight allowing me to focus on the real issues. The fact that there were no sudden shouts of alert or shock strongly suggested no one had noticed what had taken place.

I started making my invisible way up emptiest point of the outer cordon of police cars and officers while keeping my eye glued on the BERT truck. It stopped outside the second cordon line and instead of seeking to enter began instead disgorging its own occupants. Unlike the rather intimidating SWAT teams with their military-grade weapons, camouflage uniforms, and pretty much badass attitudes, the BERT team came out dressed in full bio-protection gear like you see in the end of the world movies and had an air of the serious scientist that was even more intimidating.

While six of the eight men, or possibly women – who knows by the way those suits were build to cover everything distinguishable – went about performing what appeared to be standard deployment tasks such as readying equipment, the first two from the driver's compartment moved directly toward Karrin's house holding obvious sensors with wands of some type that they waved in the air.

I felt a sudden magical surge as a spell was released and turned immediately to locate the source but saw nothing because of all the vehicles in the way. One thing I could tell, however, was that it did have the feel of Fomor magic. The result of the spell became immediately obvious as well as the two taking air samples suddenly saw their sensors' readings spike causing one to yell as he or she dropped the expensive piece of equipment and nearly fled in panic back to the van.

Being out on the street might not be the best thing with people beginning to panic so I changed course after getting past the outer perimeter of police and headed for the closest now abandoned house that would allow me to see around the vans and hopefully identify the Fomor wizard who had cast the spell. At the same time I let go with another spell of my own, one I hoped was too subtle for the other side to sense, but whose purpose was to allow me to listen in on what was being said within ten feet of the BERT truck.

One of those cool aspects of being a sensitive wizard was the ability to use magic to improve my senses; in this case focus my hearing. Yeah, Jamie Summers, the Bionic Woman, has nothing on a well trained and talented sensitive wizard! Well, except maybe an understanding of advanced scientific terms.

Obviously there was a lot of technical jargon that I was totally unfamiliar with but I did of course immediately recognize one phrase that ran a chill along my spine; weaponized aerosol smallpox. Yeah, no wonder the BERT agent had dropped his sensor and run back to the safety of the van in a hurry. A disease whose history had claimed probably half a billion people was certainly something worthy of a little concern.

My natural emotional sensor felt the tension in those around the house spike even higher. It would not take much of a mistake to have someone let loose with a shot which would probably turn into a full blown and rather one-sided war a split second later with police believing they were stopping the next great terrorist attack on America.

If I had any doubt it had been a Fomor spell I had sensed cast the fact that the agents had 'detected' a biological plague seemed reason enough to dispel my disbelief. Since Bob had led me to understand that such tactics had been used before I guess I should not be surprised by this or any other magic the enemy might choose to use.

That was until the enemy wizard let loose with another of his or her spells, a far more powerful one this time that I could feel blanket the entire area for at least a few blocks outward. I had like a whole second of warning and suddenly there I was standing visibly and in the open right on someone's porch; victim of another of those damn magical entropy spells that prevented my own castings from working. I really had to come up with a reasonable way to counter this tactic and soon.

This time I reacted faster than the last time and also benefitted as well by the fact that the owners of the house had left the front door open when ushered away by the police. Therefore it took me only two quick steps to dive inside and a few more to make my way to a curtained window in the living room where I could look out on what was taking place and hopefully not be seen by those outside.

After a few moments I was able to confirm that no one in uniform was coming for me, though there was one detective who caught my eye, at least a detective is what I assumed he was from the suit he wore rather than uniform, whose attention seemed split between looking in my general direction and also concentrating pretty hard on something else. What was obvious was that whatever was taking place in Karrin's house rated at best third on his list which as one of the most senior officers that did not make sense. Because of this I was sure I had found the Fomor wizard in his human disguise.

Of course identifying him and being able to do something about him when I was bereft of magic were two completely different things.

So once again here I was. I had no spells to use, nor had I in my rush gathered up any of my weapons which in retrospect was still probably a good thing even though at the moment it did not sit well with me. Still, had the police racing by with lights and sirens blaring seen me toting a shotgun down a residential street in broad daylight there might have been a moment or two of additional excitement. Well time to make due.

I did a quick scan of the house looking for potential options for weapons, however the shrine to Woodstock I found in one room along with the most extensive collection of model VW minivans probably in the known universe made me suspect that the lack of stuffed animal heads over the mantelpiece was not an accident. Then again this was probably a good thing as any shot I might take would probably also inadvertently start World War Three so not finding a gun put that course of action to rest and made me consider other options. Well I guess it was time to pull my MacGyver act and come up with a plan from what was available.

Wow had I really chosen the wrong house for this. I mean literally within seconds I started to suspect the homeowner was not human. Drawers were filled with dental hygiene products and breath mints along with the normal kitchen junk drawer of office supplies.

The cupboards contained nothing but dozens of packs of various forms of trail mix that probably could have fed a family of dull chipmunks for a week or so before they went on strike for better food. The fridge was stocked with twelve varieties of yogurt and something called almond milk. Don't get me wrong I am a fan of eating healthy and tried to convince Harry that he needed to do the same. But you can take anything too far. And the person who owned this home had obviously passed the point of 'too far' during Janis Joplin's performance at Woodstock.

Finally under the sink I found my first evidence of human life; four two liters bottles of soda, though these looked like someone had tried to hide them, most likely out of a sense of embarrassment. And now having found the home's 'evil stash,' which by the way every home has at least one, I gave up further searching. I will make do with what I had at my disposal.

"You in the house." A voice called out over a battery operated police horn. "Come out onto the front yard slowly with your hands raised where we can see them."

Of course as I raced through the kitchen as I was not completely sure that this had not been an order intended for me. Carefully I made my way back over to the curtained window again and peeked out hoping not to see more guns pointed my way as that was becoming monotonous.

"Karrin." An older looking officer in detective clothes who I recognized as Lieutenant Stallings, Karrin's former partner and recent boss, took over on the megaphone. "The feds say they got a tip that you and your friends are cooking up a terrorist attack on the city, picking up right where your friend Dresden left off. I told them there is no way that is true but they refuse to take my word for it." He looked over at the 'fed' with disgust, who happened to also be the Fomor wizard I had made in his disguise.

For his part the 'fed' ignored Stallings entirely beyond staying positioned behind the lieutenant to minimize the effects of the megaphone's volume on his natural sonar sense. I decided I will have to get me one of those devices when I get a chance.

Stallings turned back to Murphy's house and raised the device to his lips again. "Karrin, please!" He said in obvious conflicted pain. "Don't let these assholes find a reason to open fire kiddo. Just come out and I promise you that I will clear your name of these charges and these bullshit allegations you are working for Marcone now. I promise you I will do whatever it takes even if I have to give up my badge and go to the press to do it."

Crap! They were linking Karrin and company to Marcone as well? This smelled suspiciously like our side had been outplayed again. The only thing I was happy about was by sleeping so long this morning I was not there in Murphy's house right now when the police arrived or the Fomor's entropy spell would have left me just as screwed as they were. Damn, I really needed Hisha and Lord Kline to get here soon to help me with some sort of reasonable strategy of our own.

I went back to the beginning framework of a plan that I was building in my mind. For once I did not find a convenient backpack, which dispelled my entire belief that my guardian angel also dispensed portable personal storage units on the side. I did however find a stash of Wal-Mart bags with would serve my purposes equally well as I gathered up a few quick supplies and then headed out the back door of the home.

Backyards in this particular neighborhood were both a benefit to my cause and a hazard. As I pointed out on my evening visit a few nights earlier, there were fences and dogs to contend with. I knew where these were kept for the most part and as long as Fido was not out running free, I'm not kidding one of Murphy's neighbors had a pair of Akitas named Fido and Boomer, I could avoid these dangers without too much of an issue. The police were going to be the more serious problem.

I also kept an eye out for anyone, possibly one of Will's werewolves, in an over watch position on the neighboring rooftops, but since there had not been a meeting planned for today it was unlikely that Will or any of the others were in those positions. It was even less likely during daylight hours as movement would catch bystanders' eyes and then have to be explained. That really was too bad as had someone been up there he or she might have given those in the house a minute or two to flee before the block had been completely surrounded by the police.

Not surprisingly the alleyways behind the houses were also guarded with patrol cars so I avoided these as well and decided that my best course lay in passing through the various fences and hedges rather than going around or over them. In a sense of brilliant forethought, Will and the other werewolves had made little escape routes just wide enough for one of us at a time to squeeze through in case of an emergency, though when the werewolves had made them we expected to be leaving not trying to get closer to Murphy's house as I was hoping to use them for now. A stray thought reminded me Will said they had learned this emergency egress route was always a good idea after a rather difficult time of having to rescue Harry from an abandoned garage where he was being held for ransom.

I started by crawling through a disguised parting in one hedge row heading toward Karrin's place when a hand the size of a catcher's mitt reached down and grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked me the rest of the way through the bushes while a second similar sized paw covered my mouth as I got ready to scream in pain. No I was not scared, though I was surprised; and yes the pulling on my hair hurt! Add to that the fact that there are a lot of truly horrible things I know of that have really big hands! And YES I probably pictured every one of them in that split second! Why am I yelling?

I started drawing a small kitchen knife I had collected from the house and slipped up the sleeve of my shirt. It was about that time my mind registered it was my brother Daniel who had grabbed me and backed me up against the hedgerow and that he had done so just as a pair of police officers' head glanced into the yard we currently occupied.

"Did you hear something back here?" The first asked with less confidence than his uniform would have suggested he should have. Although I dared not look toward them I could sense both of their emotions just fine and knew the two were not only nervous but also fearful, edging on scared. That was not a good combination, which made me wonder all the more what was happening closer to the house, and more importantly, inside the house.

A flicker of shadow moved along the far edge of my periphery vision but with Daniel's hands holding me stock still I could not turn my head far enough to see whatever it was that had caught my eye. The officers seemed to sense it immediately though and in doing so did not finish scanning the rest of the yard and therefore finding where the pair of us was crouched down.

"It's was just an animal. Looked like a cat maybe." The second said and turned away which caused the first to follow suit a moment later as they went to resume their positions. I had hoped it was canine in form, preferably one of the werewolves, but it was more likely Mister, Harry's former cat, returning from an afternoon on the prowl.

Daniel lowered his head toward my ear and loosened his grip on me a bit. "Molly what are you doing here?" He whispered right in my ear with a hint of concern which immediately changed to a more familiar and accusatory tone that was almost funny in retrospect. "Are the cops here for you?" He asked with complete seriousness.

Thanks for the vote of confidence bro I thought to myself. Count on my own brother to doubt me.

"Of course they are not!" I said rather defensively and then paused as I considered what I knew. "Well, at least I don't think they came here specifically for me." I gave that a moment of further contemplation and then finished. "I think they were sent to round us all up. Speaking of which, how is it that they did not grab you too?"

"I was coming down the alley when the first police cars started arriving so I dove behind this hedge to wait and see what was going on." He explained. "The police pulled all the owners out of here without seeing me. Since then I have been trying to come up with some sort of a diversion to give the others a chance to escape but I have not thought of anything useful."

"Dou you have any idea how many of them are in the house right now?" I asked.

"I think it is Karrin, Butters, those two new Wardens, and at least two of the werewolves, maybe more, that I know of." Daniel replied seeing the look of confusion on why so many would be there at the same time if there was not a meeting scheduled.

"The Wardens had uncovered the Fomor were going to hit somewhere tonight and Karrin needed Bob's help to sort this all out." Daniel continued. I am not sure if they worked out the target or not but when she called me she said we were going to try and stop the Fomor attack. I was supposed to be here an hour ago but I was late leaving work."

"Well that was lucky for you." I replied. "Either that or you must be getting slow in your old age."

"You don't rush when messing with explosives." He said with a deadly seriousness. "Besides, the problem was some idiot in a helicopter decided to drop a whole bunch of stone gargoyles on top of the building I had been rigging up all week for detonation so I had to go back through and check all the explosive connections to ensure none of them had been jarred loose or anything." He finished explaining.

"Wow, that is such a weird story." I said not daring to look at him or allow even a hint of emotion to enter my voice. Unfortunately Daniel had been my brother for his entire life and because of that he sensed I was hiding something even if he could not read my emotions like a sensitive wizard. However, now was not the time to pursue that particular conversation with police all around and our friends in danger.

"So now that you are here can you magic out our friends somehow right?" Daniel asked.

"Unfortunately no." I responded. "There is a Fomor wizard out there disguised as a federal agent who has this whole block trapped under a powerful entropy spell." Obviously the word entropy was not one he was too familiar with. "I can't call up any magic while he has that spell running. I am sure the same thing goes for the Wardens in the house as well. Even the werewolves might not be able to transform if the spell the wizard cast is strong enough." I explained and he just accepted that I knew what I was talking about.

"That sucks." He did have a flair for the obvious.

"Yep." I did as well.

"Okay then if you can't use magic what are you planning to do?" Daniel asked realizing that I would have to be stupid to approach the house without a plan. It was nice to know my brother thought so highly of me even if he suspected me of being a criminal as well. And he did respect me, right up until I opened the Wal-Mart bags and showed him what I was carrying.

"This." I said simply knowing he was familiar with the contents and therefore at least part of the plan I was hatching. When I say hatching let me explain the egg was just starting to crack.

He looked down at the contents and then back up at me. "Really?" He asked with no disguise at all of his skepticism. "That is the best you can come up with?"

"Actually the plan has improved enormously in the past thirty seconds because now that you are here and have brought with you all those strong brotherly muscles that the girls all coo over." I said with a plastic smile that showed my less than disguised disdain for the types of girls my brother used to date as a payback for the criminal insinuation. To his credit he did not take up the bait on this but just shook his head.

"So what do you want me to do?" He asked. I took a moment to put the rest of this fabulous plan together in my own mind, confidence in yourself being key, and then explain a few of the relevant details knowing that Daniel had the experience to understand what was required of him. And it was a good thing that he had this experience because the police were not giving us a whole lot of time to conspire.

"Karrin." Stallings voice came over the electric megaphone again. "They want me to tell you that you have one minute for all of you to come out with your hands up or they are coming it guns blazing." He said shocking me with the image he offered. "They are not kidding kiddo."

I handed the bags to Daniel. "Get 'em ready." I said with as much explanation as the situation required under the circumstances. "We are only get one shot at this."

He nodded and took the materials and with trained hands began to assemble our tools while I scooted along the bushes ending up a little closer to the scene of the action so I could peer through the hedgerow and make the final plans.

The SWAT team had formed up a squad ready to attack the house covered by snipers who were leaning over car hoods readying their shots at targets inside. I was momentarily glad for the tight packed neighborhood because it obviously did not make rooftop shots a more attractive sniper option or Daniel and I might have been inadvertently discovered.

"Alright Stallings we are coming out." I heard Karrin's distinctive voice yell from two houses away. Once a cop I guess you never lose your ability to project that tone of authority over a long distance whether you wear a badge still or not. "Tell the others they can safe their weapons. None of us is armed or any danger to them."

I looked back toward Daniel who was just putting the finishing touches on his part of the plan and waved my hand to tell him to hurry up and move closer as we would have to start soon. He nodded and packed up his supplies crawling quietly toward me along the same path I had used.

"You know how it works Karrin." Stallings said with just a little less tension in his voice now that she had responded. "Come out nice and slow, one of you at a time, and all with your hands empty and then lay down on your stomachs in the yard. Do it slowly and I promise you that everything will be fine." He said and I could sense he truly believed it. All things considered I took that as a good sign even though a quick test told me the Fodor wizard's entropy spell was still working as strong as ever and that meant things could still go really wrong in a hurry.

From my angle I could just make out the front half of the porch on Karrin's house and therefore I could not see the door actually swing open. I had to rely instead on interpreting the sudden increase in tension in all the officers pointing weapons toward the house to communicate this event for me. Thankfully no one fired a shot as one by one those inside the house emerged and did exactly as the police had demanded.

Daniel's count had been correct I could see as each came down the front steps to lie on the small grass lawn. In addition to Karrin, there were the two Wardens, Will and Marci from the werewolves, and finally Butters who had disobeyed the police orders and had carried out a small container in his hand that I immediately recognized was where he kept Bob the Skull.

Unfortunately for the police they did not know this was your average, everyday carrying container for a human skull containing a spirit of knowledge. Instead many of those assembled pointing high powered automatic weapons that it might instead hold say a few vials of truly nasty smallpox virus. Being that Butters was a medical coroner, and at the moment was wearing his work clothes did not help defuse the situation in the least.

"PUT THE BOX DOWN ON THE PORCH NOW!" A new voice on a megaphone ordered and I saw Butters shake for a moment, nearly dropping the box which did not help the tension of the moment lessen for any of the parties involved. Instead he just stood there almost looking defiant as indecision wracked him. He was naturally loyal to Harry and Bob but now realized, probably upon seeing the BERT team, just how much trouble all of them were in. And although he had witnessed some rather awful events in his life to include zombies and being shot, he still panicked and froze rather than obeying the officers. These same officers who were now obviously equally afraid for their lives as they assumed they were facing either an obvious evil terrorist or a modern day mad scientist.

Everyone's eyes were glued to the frumpy little medical examiner who I figured was about to get the back of his head splattered all across the inside of Karrin's Better Homes and Gardens' house. The SWAT team members who were moving toward the others on the ground to cuff them now felt exposed being this close to the unknown container and complicating some of the lines of fire. I could feel the tension of the closest sniper with a clear shot as he began to squeeze his trigger ever so slowly.

"Do it NOW Daniel!" I ordered probably louder than I should but it was not like anyone was concentrating anywhere but on the porch at that moment. "Aim for the federal agent about twenty feet away at your eleven o'clock position!" I offered.

Thankfully my brother was as great at taking orders as he was at assembling homemade explosives from material found in the everyday house, even those owned by former Hippies. The kit that I had handed over to him in the Wal-Mart bags had contained the four two-liter bottle of Diet Coke hidden under the sink, a roll of tape, and two packs of Mentos breath mints; everything the experienced child delinquent required for making soda bombs. I of course have to say 'Kids do not try this at home!'

Daniel had placed half a package the taped together breath mints taped to the inside of the lid of each bottle of Diet Coke. He also poured out enough of the liquid to keep them from getting wet until he wanted them to once he screwed the lids back in place. Now was that time, however, as he shook each bottle rather vigorously soaking the candy in the carbonated drink which began a runaway chemical reaction. Daniel unscrewed the top slightly so he could just hear the bottle begin to hiss and then launched the projectiles one after the other toward the line of parked police cars as I had directed him to.

This is why I was happy to have Daniel along as all his muscles that the girls swooned over allowed him to launch these toward their targets from much farther away than I was capable of. And since we both had experience in building and deploying these bombs against childhood rivals, not to mention his years as a starting high school quarterback, he was deadly accurate with his tosses even without the benefit of seeing where they were going.

The first bottle landed right next to the Fomor disguised federal agent and hit exactly on the cap. This did not quite work like a detonator on a bomb, but was close enough for our purposes. Instead of exploding the bottle cracked at just above the point of impact on the neck and all that built up compressed gas now had a viable point for release. The result was a Diet Coke rocket that slammed into the wizard's stomach before careening down the street for another thirty or forty feet.

This first bomb was followed immediately by three more such devices, one of which fired off similarly and ended up putting a sizable dent in a police car door, the second landing on its side and puncturing a hole through the plastic bottle causing the container to spin around creating a shower of soda spray that made for an interesting diversion, and the third landing without puncturing at first and then finally exploded and doused everyone within ten feet with more Diet Coke droplets.

The first one had accomplished exactly what I needed and caused the wizard to lose his concentration and thereby end his spell though at least two of the follow up shots probably would have distracted him enough to also accomplish this goal. With the entropy effect suddenly gone I called up my own magic as I had planned, releasing first an auditory illusion, think of it like one of my songs though so high pitched only dogs and werewolves could hear it, telling Will to turn a police megaphone on the federal agent and then get everyone to flee. Meanwhile I worked an immediate second stronger spell and tossed a slanted shield up in front of Butter's head just as the sniper's shot rang out in response to the exploding Diet Coke bottle.

For a moment I thought I was too late.

I watched in horror as Butters dropped the box carrying Bob and fell backwards as if struck by the round. But instead of taking a bullet, the medical examiner had merely witnessed the flash of the rifle aimed at him and some part of his senses allowed him to observe the ricochet of the round off of my shield that was right in front of his face. In response he fell to his back; well okay in truth he fainted, but hey this is more than is expected of most medical examiners in any big city when they apply for their position.

"Cease fire!" One of the senior officers with an electronic bull horn that was following the SWAT team called out. It probably had more to do with the fact that he and the SWAT team were standing between those with guns and their target more than his desire to protect the lives of those on the ground but this still offered Will the opportunity he needed.

For a big guy Will moves fast and he launched himself right past the officer closest to him and about to slip flexcuffs on his wrist and right toward the same senior officer giving orders who was only now turning back to see the young man leaping in his direction. Like any trained officer he thought Will was going for his gun and so he dropped the bull horn and turned sideways to used his body to keep Will from his holstered weapon.

Will grabbed the horn before it hit the gorund, flipped it to automated siren, and then tossed it toward the disguised federal agent just before the stock of a shotgun came down between his shoulder blades and dropped him back to the ground where three other officers immediately held him down and secure him. No one except the Fomor wizard paid immediate attention to the horn as their eyes were focused upon the momentary scuffle.

The two Wardens who were the farthest away from me took the opportunity to escape at this point as well, the girl calling up a veil over the pair of them as they both bolted to safety. I opened my third eye of wizard sight to see them head toward the porch first, snatch up Bob in his carrying case, and then race around the far corner of the building before any of the police noticed they were gone. By that point though the rest of the SWAT team were on top of the others and had them pinned and cuffed in short order. Daniel and I of course decided at that point we needed to escape ourselves before anyone pointed out where the Diet Coke bombs had originated from.

Daniel was aiming for the backdoor of the house but I called to him and pointed toward the alley. "We gotta go this way." I said but not choosing to explain myself any further.

"Can't." He shook his head but paused all the same. "The police are out there." He reminded me.

"No problem." I called up some magic and performed a quick illusion on the both of us leaving us now dressed as a pair of Chicago's finest. Hey I know how to improvise when I have to.

He looked at me and then himself and smiled. "You are really getting pretty good at this." He said with an approving nod.

"Thanks." I replied as we stood up, walked rapidly over and opened the back gate through the hedges to emerge into the alley. The pair of officers who had nearly caught us earlier spotted us of course at once but relaxed a bit when they noticed we wore the same uniforms that they did. Have I mentioned how cool illusions are?

"What's going on?" They asked as I realized from their vantage point they would not have seen anything take place out front but would have still heard a gunshot and the bullhorn alarm that was only now being silenced.

"Two of those inside made a run for it around the side of the house." I said as we walked up to the pair of them. Since we were not fleeing as any rational person would they assumed we must be cops even if they did not recognize us. "Keep a lookout for a man and a woman wearing grey who cut back down toward the alley. Have you seen anything like that?" I asked looking for information on the pair of Wardens.

I knew most wizards, even the really powerful ones like Harry, cannot keep a veil up long when running and when you add to that the concentration required while also avoiding dodging trash cans and tricycles that littered the alley I knew the pair were either exposed now or had gone to ground.

"No nothing." The second officer answered as if to be part of the conversation as well.

"Alright, you check down that way and we will take this way." I said walking right past them which was opposite of the way we had come but since I projected a sense of confidence and command, thanks in no small part to some magical emotional enhancement, they never questioned me and went to do exactly as I asked.

Once we were out of immediate earshot Daniel spoke up again. "Yeah, you are getting really good at this." My brother said with an undisguised sense of awe that I found made me feel proud.

We passed the back of Karrin's house and turned away from all the activity out front and began to head toward the next street over because I realized if it was me on the run that is where I would be heading. And since I have lately been the one on the run I was pretty experienced in making these types of instinctual calls.

And in this case I was right on the money. The pair of Wardens had indeed taken a moment breather in the shadow of a dumpster as they were reassessing their own escape options. Daniel saw them at the same time I did and took the lead this time.

"Hey you two, wait up!" He said and the pair turned to look at us, then at each other, then grabbed up Bob's carrying case that had been sitting between them on the ground and fled.

Daniel looked confused as he turned to me. "Um bro." I said. "We still look like cops." I explained before dropping the illusion and taking off after the pair. As far as running goes I was quick thanks to all Harry's training; but Daniel was faster still.

"Guys it's us." Daniel said and the dreamy Arab turned to look over his shoulder, his eyes suddenly going even wider, and began to run faster still showing no signs of stopping. I turned to look over my own shoulder, expecting a horde of police or maybe a Fomor army on our heels but the alleyway behind us was empty at the moment. That meant the pair was not trying to get away from the police, now they were trying to get away from us.

What the Hell?


	13. Chapter 13

**Honor's Debt**

**Tuesday Evening **

**Chapter 13**

Okay in my time as an apprentice wizard I had face a lot of dangerous situations that… well… that sucked to put it bluntly. Of course Harry getting killed tops that particular list not only because I loved him but also because it threw the responsibility for guarding Chicago squarely in my lap. As I think I have made clear by this point that was not a situation I was adapting to with a cheery disposition.

On the grand scheme of things someone stealing Bob rates pretty damn high on the same 'oh shit' list. Sure he may appear as nothing more to you than a rather decorative skull that contained a lot of magical trivia. I mean if they were ever going to represent him on a television show or something they would probably goes the Piers Morgan route and have some English actor play his voice to lend credence and harmlessness to his font of wisdom persona. So why then should I be worried?

Let's put it this way. The Archive, Ivy, is the sum of all human knowledge, right? And in one encounter she trashed something like ten of the Denarians and could probably have wiped out even more if they had not cut her off from magic; with a spell that is rather Fomor-like one must agree.

Bob, as a spirit of knowledge probably has anywhere from one-tenth to maybe even one-half of Ivy's knowledge when you consider as a spirit he had access to things beyond mere human experience. That means someone holding Bob had access to power able to trash between one and five Denarians at a given sitting, and even more if not likewise suffering under entropy. When you consider that the average Denarian would probably beat me into oblivion without spilling its cup of Starbucks you can understand now why I did not see two Wardens running off with the skull as a good thing.

For laymen outside the magical realms let's just compare it to your local neighborhood dollar store starts selling 'Build it yourself at home atomic bomb kits – uranium included.' Yeah that scenario just never ends well no matter how you picture it.

"Stop them Daniel!" I said and began to chase the pair in earnest. As I have said I know how to run. It was one of those physical skills Harry had me concentrate a lot on. And boy have I needed it, though at that point probably never more so.

As fast as I was, Daniel, like I explained earlier, was even faster. I may have jumped ahead because I made the decision to chase before he understood what was going on but still within a dozen steps he had caught up and passed me as we raced after the two Wardens.

The pair of them on the other hand was almost as impressive in this area as we were. Leigh Lee was obviously athletic and did not carry a lot of extra weight, but while she may have more training than the average person, I was still gaining on her. The swarthy sheik, however, seemed faster still but luckily he was burdened by carrying the case Bob was contained in.

Yeah I know you may be thinking, come on, how much could a skull weigh, and you would be right in thinking not a whole lot. The case and skull were maybe five pounds or so, not even the challenge faced by a league bowler with their own ball. Yet, while that may not seem like a lot, and I admit it wasn't if just standing around, I defy any of you to try and carry and awkward shaped and unbalanced case in one hand and still run flat out with people chasing you. I can tell you that it just cannot be done, at least not with an Olympic runner's finesse. In fairness the Sheik was a lot more agile and faster than I would have suspected and I was barely keeping pace, but Daniel was definitely gaining on both of them so the results looked inevitable.

That realization came to both the Wardens as well as Leigh slowed down and drew her sword to face off against us calling over her shoulder where the alley made a hard sharp turn to the right. "Keep going Erik." Her other hand she placed palm up in front of her as I felt the familiar sensation of another wizard drawing in magic from the environment. "I'll hold them off so you can escape my love."

I will give her this she had a lot more confidence than I usually did facing off against superior numbers. Granted those Warden cloaks were not just handed out to anyone so she had some level of experience to draw on. You had to get through some serious training to get issued one of those long gray garments, and the fact that she was still alive after a war that had decimated the White Council ranks meant she was either a pretty quick learner or extremely lucky. Of course I do not think all that training included ever sitting down and watching the Disney movie 'The Incredibles' or she would have been better and preventing her mistake that came to me in an instant of inspiration.

Head to head the average Warden will trash me because they are chosen for their combat style of magic and then have that natural ability enhanced in their training. So for a wizard like me facing off against a Warden with a sword and magic was not a particularly good idea; which now that I think of it encompasses most of the things I face off with. Therefore my philosophy of course has become one of avoiding doing just that whenever possible; like now for instance.

"Entanglus!" I said making up more Latin on the fly but focusing within my mind my intent for my spell which was the actual important part. I let my magic fly along with an added touch of magical flare in the form of a red flaring burst of light.

Say what you will about the silliness of her name but the kid's training was everything you expect from a Warden. Upon seeing my red flare she tossed up a shield between us to block my likely blast of flame. I could sense as I was still running toward Leigh's that her shields were stronger than mine and there was no way my pitiful flame spells could burst through them.

But that was more or less what I expected when I faced a Warden so I had not even tried; the red light was merely a glowing illusion – a minor rave attachment – to the real spell I had called forth.

As her shield sprang up to block my fake fire the magic of my spell went around her and instead of trying to burn, throw, or impale her as she had been taught to expect from most magical capable opponents, my spell merely grabbed the hem of her Warden's cloak and yanked it over her head. This also had the side benefit of momentarily tangling up her arms to screw with spell casting. An unexpected but second additional advantage of this attack was caused by her upraised sword piercing the garment so take it out of play until she could withdraw it. But most importantly and the actual purpose of my spell was in blinding her for a few crucial seconds to what was about to happen, which in a battle feels like forever.

For those who may not have seen the Disney movie, it is because of events like this that Mr. Incredible and his family members were not allowed to add cloaks to their costumes. They may look cool on a comic book page, but they can be a serious pain in the ass that turns into a potentially deadly liability in the middle of a real street fight. So if you decide to don a costume, keep it cloak free unless you want to offer your enemy an easy object to grab and use against you.

I was going to yell to Daniel to take her out but he needed no such orders as he had been fighting at Karrin's side for weeks now and they had all been trained to take a wizard down fast and keep them down. I tried not to think of how Karrin's training might have been meant as a precursor for me one day if she bought into the Rag Lady persona's of being insane and out of control. I figured it was not good to waste time like that thinking such things about your friends.

As I have said before Daniel was an All-State football player, and even though he played quarterback, he also knew how to get low and make a tackle. Blinded by her gray cloak Warden Leigh Lee never saw my brother's two-hundred plus pound frame of muscle barreling toward her and therefore only got out the beginning syllable of her spell to free herself when he lowered his shoulder and drove it right into her solar plexus.

My larger yet younger sibling outweighed her nearly two-to-one and with the momentum of running on his side that added additional force allowing him to lift her body up from the ground as Leigh bent double over his shoulder and then he launch her ten feet or more through the air. He had done this to me once and I had landed on the hood of a car feeling as if he had broke my back.

I did mention to you that right behind her the alley took a sudden hard turn to the right didn't I? I might have failed to mention though that the house just beyond that happened to have a red brick privacy wall which Warden Lee's body now immediately became very familiar with. The wall, as was normal in such situations, did not move much from the impact of her flesh. After the collision, neither did Warden Lee.

As I raced past him and turned down the alley after Sheik Erik I registered through a quick glimpse that Daniel was checking Leigh's pulse before using some convenient wire ties he was carrying to bind her wrists, ankles, and a strip of the cape wadded in her mouth to stop spell casting. Like I said he obviously knew how to keep a wizard from causing any more harm without resorting to killing her. I let the thought go and at this point I focused all my attention on my own prey who was pulling away from me even though he was running off balance and weaving to keep me from taking a magical shot.

Not that I was ready to. I was still pulling in magic which while running full out and trying not to gasp for breath is not as easy as it sounds. Thankfully he was not showing any signs of firing one my way either as escape seemed to be his preferred course of action.

I took a quick glance over my shoulder an did not see Daniel racing to catch up yet, though weaving around various dumpsters, discarded tricycles, and piles of yard refuse made a long stare impossible. By the time I turned back the Sheik had gained at least three more feet on me before turning down the next alley to block any lingering hopes I'd have of using magic.

I made it to the corner a few seconds later and turned in time to see him now even further ahead. Pretty soon he's be able to make two turns without my observing and this would be incredibly bad for me. Not only could I lose him if I chose wrong, but that amount of time would allow him to stop and plan a magical ambush if I came barreling through behind him without being cautious. I'd have to slow which meant he would get away.

As he began his turn at the far end of the alley he looked my way and smiled as he came to the very same conclusions. Even from this distance I could appreciate what Leigh saw in him from just that roguish smile with incredibly straight white teeth. He should be a model for a Colgate toothpaste commercial or something. Of course that would not stop me from knocking out every one of those teeth if he did not give me back Bob.

His distraction looking at me took his attention away from the alley at just the wrong time as it allowed me to fire off one of my three remaining shield spells, projecting a nearly invisible, waist-high barrier three or four steps in front of his path. He obviously knew I had cast something by my actions and words, shield spells being one of the simplest and most recognizable spells to even apprentice combat wizards, but oddly made no attempt to counter it or reason out what I had done. Instead he went tail over heads, that meaning for a moment his backside was higher than both his skull and the one he was carrying, before crashing to the ground in a rather awkward and painful manner. Such a fall is impossible to control, and instinct requires dropping whatever you are holding to protect your head so of course Bob's case ended up rolling a few feet away before coming to a stop by a pile of discarded magazines.

I was pretty sure the skull would be fine when I got to it. The Sheik was my first concern because he was hardly out of the fight and a trapped wizard should be respected; I think I have proven that particular lesson to the Fomor on numerous occasions.

Wizard battles are a lot like any kind of fight, in that the one who hits the first and the hardest usually wins. Wardens as the enforcement arm of the White Council are trained to do both so I prepped myself for tossing up a shield or making a dodge as I finally skidded to a stop placing myself between the Sheik and Bob's case. Thankfully the fall took the wind out of him at first as I watched him trying to breathe normally first.

Sure I could have piled on my own attacks at this point but I already had enough problems with the White Council that attacking a Warden directly with hostile magic would pretty much seal my fate. Up until this point I had technically not broken any Laws of Magic, well beyond the not surrendering for execution but I figured they had to give me that one if I was to prove I was not a threat. Most importantly I had not tried harming those the Council had sent after me, in fact I had saved their lives from the ghouls.

What I had done to Leigh a few moments ago demonstrated restraint and might sway members of the council from considering me a true rogue. However, now attacking a downed Warden would have just the opposite effect even if I could say I was merely recovering my own property. It sucks to have you life dictated by such complications but hey, such is the life of your average perky wizard apprentice.

My ability to sense another wizard drawing in magic would allow me some ability to counter any hostile move the Sheik might make but after catching his breath and shaking his head to clear the cobwebs from his fall, he tried nothing of the sort. Instead he merely turned to locate Bob and instead found me standing between him and his prize. Thankfully he did not seem to take this as a challenge or a loss, but instead he just smiled and laughed; and not in an evil overlord laugh fit of destruction either, but one of resigned acceptance that he had lost his play.

I must admit that the smile looked good on his face, especially with those far too pearly white teeth. His laugh was also warming to my soul after our cat and mouse game. I sensed no hostility in his emotions either and this made me relax my own guard just a little bit as Charity Carpenter did not raise her oldest daughter to be anyone's fool.

"I would like your permission or assistance to stand up to make sure all my parts are still functioning if that is okay with you." He asked politely though the hint of wickedness that touched his smile when he said 'parts' was not lost on me and even made me warm to him a bit more. "I fear I may need to patch myself up and from this positions that may prove to be difficult."

"As long as you do not try to call upon magic you can stand up but understand that I can sense it if you try anything stupid with your spells so for both our sakes please be good." I cautioned him as politely as I could to try and keep things calm. I also tried not to stare too much at those well crafted Mediterranean features of his.

"I promise you I have absolutely no intentions on calling upon magic." He said reaching his feet with almost no sign of discomfort after a truly nasty fall and spent a moment checking his clothes which did in fact look a little worse for wear. His knees and gloved hands showed signs of significant road rash though he was stoic in his acceptance of what had to be obviously painful injuries. After my last few days I was truly sympathetic.

"Really?" I asked with a polite hint of skepticism. "You mean I have truly encountered a Warden that is not trained to shoot first?" They may have to send this one back to school for being nearly human.

He added a smirk to his smile. "My 'training' and reputation is to never 'shoot first,' most especially when dealing with a woman as charming and beautiful as yourself." He said turning up the suave dial a little more as he played with my words and had me gapping like a fish as I caught up. "Such actions are better resigned to teenage boys, don't you agree?" I could not believe he went _there_ and it obviously showed on my face as well as I felt it burning crimson.

He laughed even louder and it was both warm and disarming in its honesty. Were he truly dangerous this might have been the perfect opportunity to make a move or attack but he did not attempt anything remotely intimidating except to touch a tender spot on his right side and wince in obvious pain. I had to force myself for not offering to help him on the spot. Thankfully he was not watching me but focused upon himself at that moment.

He untied his cloak and let it slip to the ground before lifting up his robes, I was thankful, sort of, to see he wore pants underneath, and tossing the robe to the side as well. This way he could get a better look at the large, dark bruise forming on the right side of his rib cage; his muscular, chiseled, and perfectly-defined male rib cage that is.

"Ummm… yeah." I stuttered and finally agreed to his teenage boy comment while my eyes stayed glued on a rather sweet looking piece of foreign eye candy.

Good job Molly, way to offer up such a witty and rapier like response. The Sheik did not respond though I sense a hint of subtle pleasure in knowing he had me tongue tied. Okay Mr. Suave, come over here and kiss me and I will show you tongue tied! His eyes seemed to rise up as if he could read my very thoughts and sparkled with flickers of silver in their blue depths like stars twinkling at dusk. He moved in closer to me, at first looking for permission, and then like a conqueror.

WHAT THE HELL WAS I DOING?

I tossed up one of Margaret's lust-resistance spells just as the Sheik closed his eyes to kiss me and I followed that spell up with now clear mind and an uppercut that would have made Murphy proud. My knuckles connected with the underside of his jaw just as the tip of his tongue began to snake out toward me. The force of the blow snapped it shut and sent him falling back on his ass with a mixed look of both pain and outright shock on his face. I guess he was not used to being told no.

"Molly, he is a…" Margaret's voice screamed in my head and seemed to have been.

"White Court vampire." I finished. "Yeah I got it. Why did you take so long to tell me?" I asked in my head as I watched him spit blood; blood I confirmed was tainted with silver, on the ground.

"Child I have been trying to tell you since he smiled at you over a minute ago." She explained and part of me had some vague recollection of hearing her voice but not the actual words that she was saying. "It seems you can be fairly single minded in your pursuits and thoughts sometimes my dear." She scolded me lightly.

"Yeah…well…uuumm… try to warn me anyway." I replied in yet another demonstration of my incredible responsive wit.

"Of course child." Margaret replied and then went silent so I would not be distracted by a truly dangerous opponent.

"What is wrong Molly?" The Sheik ala vampire asked, obviously confused by this turn of events. Probably not a lot of women who had ever turned down the offer of a kiss, and I was willing to bet none would have done so as forcefully as I had.

"Save it Cambion, I am immune to your charms." I said while dramatically raising a hand and summoning a bit of fire to dance upon my fingertips as a not-so-subtle warning that I meant business. "Unless you want me to burn away every one of those meticulously gelled and combed hairs on your head, not to mention your eyebrows and nose hairs, you will sit right there and not try anything nearly so stupid again as you explain yourself." I warned him quite vividly.

I could tell by his reaction to my description that the idea of losing all his facial hair was abhorrent to him so he accepted my orders and turned off the desert oasis romance charm he had been floating in my direction. I also noticed he began to tense his muscles slightly, giving off the same base emotions as a trapped animal though trying not to show it overtly as a means to sucker me into letting my guard down a bit so he could make his escape.

He also did his best not to look toward where Bob had rolled, which, if anything, made it all the more obvious that he still intended to grab the skull if the opportunity presented itself. Having seen how fast White Court vampires can move when inspired, I figured I would nip this one in the bud before it even became an issue.

"I summon Ragnog's Illuminus Cage of the Phoenix." I made a hokey show of spell casting before putting up a multi-sensory illusion of a bird cage of magical bars of flame around the still shirtless vampire, giving the image of glowing molten metal a feel of heat on the skin and a distinctive magma smell I recalled as an after effect of some of Harry's best spells. I had nowhere near the control or power necessary for a real cage of flame, but I could keep such an illusion going for an hour if I had to.

The Sheik's eyes widened at the result obviously accepting the illusion as real and therefore making him look even more like the trapped animal that he now was. "I assume you are not foolish enough to put the magic of the Rag Lady to the test after all I have gone through to establish my reputation?" I said casually as I played upon the worst rumors spoken of me; well earned and true or not.

In fairness, he took this in stride and calmed down once he understood he had no choice and tried to not appear helpless. "So is this to be some form of negotiation or just interrogation?" He asked trying to appear in control though I could tell he was still desperately seeking some sort of advantage. Maybe he hoped I would think he still had some doomsday card to play or something and not press my advantage.

Fat chance of that! "Let's assume both for the moment just so I can keep my options open." I said in response as both a threat and potential enticement so he would consent to cooperate. I figured if he thought he had options he would be more likely to play along rather than try being a hard ass from the get go. "So how about we start with a polite introduction since you already know who I am and my reputation."

"Very well, I am Erik Raith." He said with a smile that said I should be impressed or in a mild state of awe. Good luck with that. "I believe you are acquainted with my family?" He ratcheted it up trying to put me off balance by name dropping and hoping my respect or fear for maintaining my alliances would provide him some advantage at present. It is so cool to be able to read emotions. I gotta try this out at Vegas some time.

"I thought old man Raith was not big on letting the males of the family survive and that Thomas was the sole exception" I replied drawing upon the stories that Harry had told me. I could not help but notice the wave of anger when I mentioned Thomas name even if it never reached Erik's face so I decided to play on that obvious weakness. "You must not be one of his direct progeny like Thomas but rather some offshoot forgotten grandchild or a more distant relative." I reasoned rather dismissively in my tone.

"Lara is my cousin actually." He replied, vocalizing a connection to the head of the house rather than Thomas who I had purposely named in my question. Interesting…

"So then Felicia is your sister?" I reasoned remembering now she had mentioned a brother Erik at the alliance meeting.

"She is my half-sister or my second cousin, depending upon which side of the bloodline you care to reckon it from." He said without even a hint of embarrassment at the rather twisted shape of their family tree. I cannot say I was shocked by this.

"I thought your name was familiar." I nodded and added a subtle flow of emotion of superiority in my knowledge of him as I pressed on to keep him off balance. "Didn't I hear you got banished out to the West Coast by Lara for messing with someone you shouldn't have?" Yeah the emotional teakettle began to whistle at that point.

"I would not expect you to understand these events or even have access to an unbiased account as your close association with my waste of a cousin is well documented." He said letting some obviously flashes of anger escape. "Obviously I underestimated how much under his control he has you, just like how blindly loyal the other lying harlot who works for Lara is as well. I can assure you that unlike that drunken sot you cling to, all my actions have been to promote the interests of our family." He finished with a sense of self satisfaction and justified defensiveness.

I tried to play mental catch up while not giving anything away. First things first what I need was something to distract him while I put pieces together. Lea told me pain works well in such situations so I mentally turned up the illusionary heat on the phantasm cage and watched Erik bare his teeth as me in painful response. "Be careful cambion what words you choose to speak about Thomas." I replied, knowing that Thomas had to be the drunken wretch based upon the way he had been living until recently.

It also made sense that in such an environment as the White Court where one male had held such dominance for so long that there would be a natural rivalry for position among the surviving males once that influence had been removed. So if that was what this was about the 'lying harlot' must be Justine, who I also knew was considered hands-off to the rest of the family. Yep there was definitely a story here I needed to hear.

"Lara graces few enough with her trust but her confidence in her brother is without question as is her reliance upon Justine." I warned with a bit of underlying menace.

"Lara is truly strong but she is fatally blinded by belief in close family ties and the belief in the natural superiority of her gender when selecting appropriate tools to promote family interests." Erik responded. "I am far more capable and deserving than either my 'beloved' sister or that drunken waste you slavishly cling to. Were it not for his participation in Obl…" Erik caught himself at the last moment and watched my reaction before coughing and continuing. "..obligations to the family she would have killed Thomas or cast him out of the family and I would have assumed my rightful place as her most loyal lieutenant." He covered nicely.

Of course I sensed the sudden panic in his emotions when he realized he had almost said too much. And if it were true then that was not good for any of us. I had to be sure.

I looked over my shoulder and saw Daniel was slowly making his way toward us with a now awake, kicking, and squirming Leigh Lee who was still bound and gagged slung over his shoulder. Thankfully her continued energetic resistance and muffled screams would provide me a few more precious moments to finish things before Daniel was close enough to overhear my conversation with Erik. Time to turn up the heat.

"Oblivion." I said simply watching both the vampire's physical and emotional reactions to my selection of this word.

I would have had to be blind not to see how he stiffened at its use which left us no doubts in either our minds that the other had access to a secret they by all rights should not have known of. I was sort of unsure now how to proceed because Lara's insistence that this subject remains secret put me in a very awkward position though the need for secrecy demanded that I learn what he knew and who, if anyone, he told.

Erik solved the opening gambit for me by speaking first. "So I am not the only one the drunk leaked his hidden life to?" Erik said in obvious disgust. "Let me guess, did he spill this particular secret in the midst of some impassioned lover's embrace as a means to make himself more desirable?"

"He hardly requires it." I said playing upon the obvious image of my relationship with Thomas that Erik had already come to believe regardless of how incorrect it was. "But I, unlike you it seems, did not need to resort to getting him drunk and taking advantage of an emotional weakness to learn of this." I said with a sense of superiority.

"I did not get him drunk, I merely happened upon him already in that state lamenting over the losses he had suffered in the past few years rather than doing something to balance the scales." Erik responded in his own self-righteous defense. "Though I admit that I share for him no affection, I put my own thoughts aside and went to him to offer him a male perspective on his situation; though in truth what Thomas needed was to learn to grow a set. I was in the process of reminding him of his greater loyalties to the family when he let slip his true 'responsibility' to me about his role in Oblivion as if this activity made up for all his other family failings."

"I know Thomas and while he might have let slip that word and some basic detail, even drunk he would not have said more." I knew those protections were too strong for more than just a simple error, even at a moment of complete weakness. "And so you pried the story out of him in his moment of disadvantage?" I accused.

"No." The vampire agreeably replied. "But in truth I would have if it had not been for the inopportune arrival of his harlot. I tried to intimidate her but instead of respecting my authority she ran to Lara and claimed I had attempted to feed upon her against the Lara's command. I claimed innocence of course and Thomas was too insensible to render witness for or against me, but Lara chose to believe the harlot all the same. Since the evidence against me was sketchy she offered me a choice of assuming my liaison position in California or facing her direct wrath. I took that former option as a means to buy time until I could prove my worth to the family another way."

"And I am supposed to believe that?" I said noting that Daniel and his prize were close.

"I care not what you believe." He replied defiantly. "I know where my loyalties lie."

"But it did not stop there. You had been disgraced and needed a means to balance the scales didn't you?" I could see it written there in his eyes and rigid posture. It was time to take a few gambles that seemed likely. "So how long did it take you to research an Oblivion target, seduce the White Council Warden, and then why did you kill Marcone's spy?" I asked tossing three possible seeds out and hoping at least one bore fruit.

My deduction skills were obviously good as Erik did not even bat an eye at any of the accusations I made. Instead he took it that I was at least one step ahead and merely offered him a chance to explain his actions.

"Once I understood the nature of the game Oblivion game I figured the easiest way to play and protect myself was through an agent so that I could acquire the necessary research without it tracing right back to me. Warden Lee was assigned as my official contact with the White Council as she claimed to be immune to charms of my type having grown up in the shadow of the Jade Court. Therefore I could serve in my ambassador's role between Lara and the Council and in my own time it was child's play to seduce Warden Lee and have her perform the research on that other matter." Erik's eyes darted over my shoulder as his words became less specific telling me my brother was getting within range of our conversation. I'm not sure if he was hiding Oblivion from my brother or the truth of his relationship from Warden Lee. "I will admit that her research ability exceeds her other magical and mundane talents, though her initial exuberance in one area was mildly entertaining I will admit."

"So she led you to the Merchant." I deduced, with an obvious hope that there was not a second powerful nearly god-like being running around the streets of Chicago that I need to be concerned with as well.

"Not directly. It appears that such a being of power had drawn the White Council's notice some years ago and they had been tracking this being's movements ever since as best they could though they had not been successful in identifying it." Erik admitted much to my relief though this smelled of The Merlin's or The Gatekeeper's hidden hand in keeping knowledge a secret for the Oblivion War. "They feared he was a gun for hire and they suspected that the Fomor may also be reaching out."

"How did you learn how to contact it?" I asked figuring this could not be something simple or the being would not be on the Oblivion's roles.

"He found me." Erik admitted. "I was reviewing the notes that Leigh had compiled when he actually knocked on my door and said it would be much simpler if he answered my question directly rather than leave me to stumble around blindly like some mystical game of Marco Polo."

"And still you were stupid enough to make a deal with him after understanding what Thomas's mission is?" I said in utter shock.

"No." Erik replied. "He informed me that I had nothing to sell that he had the slightest interest in. However, there was a Fomor wizard looking to make contact with a member of the White Court and potentially put a stop to this war if the White Court representative could prove his or her usefulness. The Merchant offered to make the introduction though he explained I would have to possess something of value to the Fomor if I wanted to prove my negotiation was meant honestly. I told him that I would not betray my family. But then I realized sacrificing Marcone for peace was a doubly good deal as far as the White Court was concerned and mentioned as such. As luck would have it the Merchant had a package he wanted delivered to Marcone's pilot anyway and perhaps the pilot might offer insight the Fomor would accept as proof."

That explained who delivered the Hellstone. "So the pilot led you to Marcone's spy?" I asked as Daniel put Warden Lee on her feet right before us but kept her still as my questioning continued. He too stood silently understanding his role was to serve as Murphy's agent.

"No, but he told me that he knew Marcone's chief of communications and the chief gave me this little secret of the spy as payment for a bout of rather interesting pre-pillow talk." Erik admitted. "Armed with this knowledge and a memory stone that the Merchant provided me I met with the Fomor wizard to negotiate a settlement to our war but the price the wizard demanded was too high."

"To high?" I asked. "I thought you had no compulsion against selling out your allies."

"I don't." Erik admitted. "Unfortunately the Fomor wizard double crossed me after I had taken care of the spy. He sent a band of ghouls after me for the data and demanding that I also acquire the skull that your group has in its possession. I figured if he wanted this thing that bad it must be pretty valuable so I said no. I fled back to the West Coast with the spy's data and linked up with Leigh's team but the ghouls chased after me. We fought, and Leigh's teammates were killed, so we hid out for a bit until trying to return here which is when we encountered you."

"Why come back at all?" I asked. "If you had gotten away from them why not stay safe?"

"Because if the wizard wanted the skull that badly then it had to be valuable and therefore something Lara would prize as well." Yeah that did make sense. "With that in my possession and the data from Marcone's spy I figure I could demonstrate my value to the family and get an assignment truly worthy of my actual talents." He finished.

"So then you arranged for Murphy's arrest?" I asked. "That way you could get access to the skull?"

"No." Erik replied. "I had no part in this little adventure. Luckily with Warden Lee I saw an opportunity to acquire the skull during the confusion and seized it. It all went well except for your ill timed arrival." He finished his explanation.

So someone else had arranged the takedown at Murphy's house. Such an action was too subtle for the Fomor and not in the interests of either Marcone or Lara so my list of suspects was rather short. And I still had a few other questions that needed tying up and Erik had at least part of those answers.

"What do you know of the 'power' that came through from Asia a few nights ago?" I asked.

"Nothing more than what the White Council told the Alliance before we arrived." Erik admitted. "I am assuming you suspect they caught wind of that other one?" He raised an eyebrow to indicate the Merchant without mentioning his name in from of either my brother or Warden Lee.

"Maybe." I said but with this wealth of information at my disposal a far more likely option seemed apparent. "I believe I am having dinner with this being tonight at the Japanese Consulate. The event is certainly to be epic don't you think?" I said thinking if it was a trap, as it most likely was, then I needed to throw a few additional wildcards onto the pile. Nothing allows for unique opportunities like a dose of pure chaos.

"Does Lara know about this?" Erik asked with obvious calculations running through his mind. That's right pretty boy, take the hook and make this easy on me.

"Well I did not tell her." I admitted honestly. This added additional concerns to Erik's eyes and made his emotional desire for immediate escape all the greater.

"One last thing and then we can discuss what to do with you and your associate." I promised. "I take it you still have the spy's data?"

"If I do?" He replied noncommittally though his emotions provided all the truth I needed.

"Then giving it to me is a way of increasing your chance of survival at this moment." I explained with a sense of subtle threat.

"And what do I get in exchange?" He asked. Before I chose to answer he placed his own deal on the table as a starting point.

"My freedom…" He said then remembered Warden Lee. "I mean _our_ freedom." Count on a White Court vampire to never willingly surrender a tool or a future meal.

"Tell you what." I said trying to project a level of menace appropriate to the Rag Lady reputation. "Give me the data and I will let the let you have the Warden right now."

Warden Lee began to shake her head vigorously at the suggestion but Erik ignored her and stayed focused only on me. I do not know if she understood my fire cage was an illusion or if she was afraid of being caught but thankfully the vampire did not seem to care for her opinion.

He thought about it for a moment before drawing his sword hilt, the same one still sans blade he had been holding when I first met him, and tossed it at my feet. "You will find his notes rolled up inside the hilt guard." He explained never doubting I would hold up my end of the bargain; that or I would kill him either way and get it all the same. "Now give me Leigh."

I picked up the sword and shook it feeling the paper sliding inside the hollowed out hilt and then nodded to my brother. "Go ahead and toss her to him." I said with a wink that both he and Warden Lee could see. Daniel understood immediately and did as I ordered after first cutting the bands that held her ankles and wrists so she would not immediately fall. It is great being backed up by your brother, at least when he does not think you might actually be a psychopathic killer like everyone in town likes to claim you are.

She stumbled toward the fire and I made a dramatic display of bending the illusionary bars open wide enough for her to fall through before snapping them shut again on the two of them. Meanwhile I recovered Bob's travelling case and tossed it to my brother just as Erik snapped the final binding that was holding in Warden Lee's gag.

"You lying bitch…" Warden Lee screamed as she began to draw up magic and I readied a shield and my own attack spell if it became required. Thankfully it wasn't.

Erik's touch on Leigh's cheek made her body shudder and her eyes flutter all at once. I was glad I recognized the danger he posed and tossed up Margaret's protection or that might have been me I realized. He smiled from over her shoulder and whispered just loud enough for me to hear. "Get us out of here my love."

Warden Lee nodded and opened a portal between them and us allowing the pair to step through even as Daniel rushed to stop them. Thankfully he was too late. I of course never raised a finger to try and prevent their escape. He looked at me in wonder. "Aren't we going after them?" He asked. "They killed Marcone's agent." So he had been listening.

"No." I said and began to turn away.

"No?" He was confused.

"No." I repeated. "First of all I have no idea what lies on the other side of the portal. There is a better than a fifty-fifty chance that whatever it is, it will turn out to be something much worse than letting the pair of them go."

"And second?"

"Second." I said with a smile. "I have a party to get to and lots of details to arrange before I arrive." I loved the look of confusion I can sow on the faces of those who know me best. "Speaking of which I have a couple of really important tasks for you starting with…"

I was interrupted by a weird vibrating feeling in the pocket of my jeans. Since I do not carry a cell phone I reached down instinctually into my pocket and my fingers came in direct contact with the familiar feel of the chess piece I was still carrying with me.

"Ah good Molly you are there." Lord Kline's voice was pleasant if a bit strained.

"What is happening?" I asked hearing the distinctive din of mortal physical combat in the background. Unfortunately these were sounds I was all too familiar with.

"Um it seems… hold on a second…" The voice of the troll paused, well paused in talking to me at least, to instead offer a rather distinctive roar of challenge followed by the meaty smacks of hand to hand battle. It was nearly a full minute before a slightly more winded troll's voice with a distinctive English accent made it back to the magical phone.

"…It seems that Hisha and I may be a bit delayed in coming to your aid my dear." Lord Kline apologized. "We have been waylaid by a veritable army of ghouls who seem intent on blocking us from making all the necessary connections in the magical pathways to get to you."

Ten minutes ago this might have come to a disappointing shock to me but in the wake of Erik's information and my own deductions I was not terribly surprised. So of course I adapted to this news on the fly.

"That is okay as the situation has changed anyway." I said in response. "Instead of coming here to Chicago, it is vital that you meet me at the Parthenon in eight hours. Our success or failure may rest in your reaching that destination in time to assist me."

"We will do so my dear." He said before another meaty smack and an accompanying roar, this time of pain, cut off the communication.

"Problem?" Daniel asked sensing my turmoil.

"Yeah." I replied. "But hey it is nothing a perky wizard apprentice cannot handle." I said with a smile. "Now here is the list of things I need you to do for me bro…"


	14. Chapter 14

**Honor's Debt**

**Tuesday Evening **

**Chapter 14**

Ever have one of those moments in life where almost all the options you have totally suck or suck even worse than that? Yeah that pretty much describes a vast majority of my life as of late it seems. And what makes it even worse is that I could objectionably argue that in this case it was not really my fault that I was in this situation. Worse still under a second thought I also knew based on all I had been told that there really was no other option but to see this crisis through to the end. Unfortunately with what I was now faced with understanding is that 'the end' in this particular case had some rather potentially fatal implications for one rather cute and perky wizard apprentice.

With the departure of Erik and Leigh following the vampire's forced revelations Daniel and I returned to my car to consider options and discuss our next moves. I let him carry Bob's case and the sword hilt so I could keep my hands free if spell casting became necessary. A Fomor wizard had been around during the raid and while I could sense his entropy spell was no longer operating that did not necessarily mean he had departed. He might just be playing possum and waiting for the next round with something even nastier in mind, say like a horde of Elvis impersonator ogres or something.

The smart thing for me would of course be to depart the immediate area as having both a large contingent of the police and also an enemy wizard nearby meant loitering was hardly a good idea. However, I was trapped waiting for a delivery from the Japanese consulate so it's not like I was free to flee like any reasonable person would do when faced with these situations. Blowing off the party was no longer an option. I was pretty sure it was one of the events I just could not afford to miss. At least part of me was hoping this was true.

I explained my trapped dilemma to Daniel and between the two of us we identified a nearby chokepoint that the delivery vehicle would almost certainly have to traverse past, be it either a FedEx or UPS truck as Daniel expected or a diplomatic car from the consulate as I suggested. Either way the crossroads at that point were pretty open and would allow for observing such a vehicle in advance so we decided that was a good place to park my car to sit and wait without drawing too much attention to the pair of us from the police or nosy neighbors.

Daniel was fidgety coming down off a fight, and verbally took it upon himself to keep an eye out for the vehicle. His unspoken aspect to this was he was expecting me to come up with the miracle plan to solve everything. I joke that deeper thoughts were hardly the forte of my brother, who more so than even dad was becoming a man of action in our little group. Truth be told Daniel was just smart enough to understand that he did not have basic understanding in magic and the numerous players involved to offer a reasonable plan of action. It was comforting to have him rely on me, though I almost wanted to point out that even with some of the wisdom he lacked I did not have all the answers at the moment either.

Regardless with Daniel on point this left me with ample time to try and lay out the situation fully in my head instead of just playing off of instincts like I had in suggestion meeting Hisha and Lord Kline at the Parthenon. I started by arranging the problems in my head and tried to figure out what was required to solve each one and where I would come up with the necessary resources to do so.

The simplest of my current concerns, which is a truly relative term in this case, was what to do about Murphy, Will, and the others. Even with the BERT team's sensor data testing positive, it would not take long for the authorities to figure out the reading had been false as I was pretty sure Murphy was not cooking up biological weapons in her kitchen. Second and third tests with new equipment would show nothing dangerous like that in the house leaving the police without much in the way of evidence. Still the authorities would want to play it safe and keep the group under custody for twenty-four to forty-eight hours as a precautionary measure as they checked everything out thoroughly before begrudgingly releasing them all with the city's apology.

I figure as smart as the opposition had demonstrated itself to be in dealing with Marcone by having backups for backups, the period of sidelining Karrin's team is probably the acceptable contingency in what the Fomor were hoping for if the police had not gone in guns blazing. That to me meant the bad guys had something big planned during this time and did not want any potential interference by the alliance when executing their plan. We had proven fairly adept at this over the past few months.

Interference, or at least the potential for it, was therefore called for. So I at least needed Karrin and her team on the streets, and the Fomor to know they were there as a means to either screw up their plans, make them delay, or at worst at least keep them distracted looking over their shoulders.

The only way to get Karrin and company out, well besides a rather loud and flashy jailbreak which unlike Harry I was not actually in the habit of contemplating, would be to have the courts order them released immediately and for the press to be there to broadcast this to the public and the Fomor. I do not of course have any pull with either of those groups but I knew Gentleman Johnny Marcone could probably do so with just a few phone calls. So that meant I just needed to get him working this problem as quickly as possible to achieve this goal. And if I had to deal with Marcone I might as well consider what else he could solve for me. Of course I would have to offer him something in exchange, something perhaps like the data his spy had lost.

I pulled out the sword hilt Erik had surrendered and after a few moments of not being able to figure out how to open the damn thing handed it to Daniel who I was happy to note was equally confused and annoyed after examining it too. Finally he solved this issue the old fashion way by using a bit of leverage, those construction company improved muscles in his arms, and the tire iron in my trunk to break the hilt open revealing some notepaper scraps rolled up inside. I scanned these pages as quick as I could, the spy's penmanship left a bit to be desired, and saw that the data and map the notes contained described the imminent plan of the Fomor wizard and gave a real good reason why the Fomor wanted him unable to pass this along.

As magic goes, it was a rather simple, yet diabolically clever idea. The Fomor it appeared had learned that there was little profit in dropping a biological disease on humans to wipe them out as they would only come back stronger and more pissed off the next time. This was before even accounting for modern medical capabilities like the CDC and modern hospitals to fight such things.

The Fomor wizard also seemed to really enjoy having slaves and the power and prestige this provided his race. So the plan in this case was for the wizard, apparently the race's lieutenant assigned to control this city, to install some sort of magical device, the spy was unclear on its working details, on the top of the Sears Tower that was based upon the Fomor's own unique brand of magic. From what I read in the notes the device was some sort of magical equivalent to a nuclear bomb in that there would be a huge magical burst that would take down not only all other types of magic but also all modern technology like electronics and cars within the visible horizon from the point of detonation. Only unlike a real nuclear weapon it would not harm people or buildings; that was a perk left for the Fomor to accomplish themselves at the appropriate time.

The expected effect for magical beings, such as myself and the Faerie Courts, would mean we were all cut off from our power sources and would therefore be unable to offer any resistance in that form. It was also designed to create a continual ward around the city causing magical creatures and technology that came into the area after the blast to fail as well. It appears that the Fomor wizard had mapped out that a ley line passed right under the necessary building capable of continually supplying all the magic the spell would require.

Chicago would be back in the nineteenth century and without any realistic hope of help coming from the outside as military and commercial aircraft or vehicles coming within range of the spell would fail as well, probably with fatal results for the crews. If the citizens of America's third largest city wanted to prevent becoming slaves they would need to escape the city on foot before the Fomor came for them neighborhood by neighborhood, not something the average city resident spent much time planning or were prepared for. Hopefully they could 'get medieval' and fight clubs and blades, something that could happen in certain parts of the city, but the Fomor had considered that as well as they understood they were vastly outnumbered.

Without communications to coordinate and things like running water and food supplies trucked into the city most of the city's residents would at first suspect a natural disaster had occurred instead of an attack. It would not take long however, for panic to set in and the battles for life's necessities like food and water to spill out onto the streets. With humans turning on themselves it would soon make the Fomor's job collecting the surviving slaves who would be the strongest by a brutal Darwinian process of elimination even easier.

According to the wizard's notes the Fomor's biggest problem was seen as getting to the top of the Sears Tower and holding it long enough to install the device. The spy had suggested that Marcone place his defending forces here to stop their plan.

Because the Tower is a continuously occupied building the plan was to strike at midnight, tonight at midnight it turns out, with nearly two hundred of their kind to secure the building and hold off any assault Chicago's finest might attempt until the device was installed. This was close to the full strength of the Fomor in Chicago because of how well we had been whittling them down. While that might seem a lot, as long as we could fight we had a chance. Once the device was running though, the advantages would all be rather one-sided from that point on.

Okay I have now gone from 'sucks even worse' to 'totally sucks beyond any reasonable notion.' I took a moment to explain this all to Daniel as I continued to look at the last few pages and an attached hand drawn map. That last was at least more easily understandable than the spy's scribbles and showed the three places the enemy army would emerge from the Undertown to assault the tower. Thankfully I was recently familiar with this area.

"Molly you have to take this to the authorities and let them stop this." Daniel said.

"Yeah and tell them what exactly?" I asked without meeting his gaze. "An army of extremely hard to kill magical beings from ancient Ireland is going to detonate a bomb to take away all our technology?" Hell with my luck they would make it into a television show on NBC where after fifteen years humans with access to libraries had not figured out how to at least get steam powered devices running again. The world obviously needed many more Steampunk enthusiasts and stories.

"Well no, you do not have to say they are magical." He tried to defend his original position but it was half hearted at best as he began to work out the problems with it just as I was.

"Daniel, think about it. When the authorities stop laughing and ask for proof what can I show them, this?" I responded. "These papers talk about wizards, magical devices, and ley lines. Do you think anyone in authority will take them seriously?" I asked again. "Add to that little problem that both you and I are probably currently 'known associates' of Karrin in every law enforcement computer in the state so we would surely be held for questioning once one of the officers ran our identities through a police database which would give the Fomor an even better chance of succeeding."

He paused and took this all in not finding any easy answer or argument to counter my points. "So what do you suggest?" He asked as if he expected me to have all the answers.

"I am working on it." I said looking at the last of the notes finding two very important tidbits that could offer potential options.

The spy had also recorded that the Fomor wizard was seeking a talking skull to use as payment to its hired agent, known as 'The Merchant.' It seems like Bob was becoming more and more of a commodity. Knowing the potential for damage that could cause there was no way I was going to let that happen.

Without the skull the wizard was going to have to accept becoming the Merchant's high priest or some such thing. Daniel looked on this with confusion and I gave him nothing though with what Lara and Thomas had shared yesterday I could see this was some more really bad potential here. Please move the dial up from 'totally sucks beyond any reasonable notion' to some other reference for sucking now even worse.

Moving on…

It appeared the Fomor had also identified that there was a small outpost of Svartalfar or Svartalves in the tunnels of the Undertown near where the Fomor were going to come up. The wizard seemed very intent on avoiding these beings at all costs before the assault on the Tower, but they were identified to get a special attention once the magic bomb was up and operating. I must have spoken their name aloud unknowingly because Daniel piped in with an answer to a question I had not even asked yet.

"The Black Elves?" Daniel replied. "Yeah I know of them from when I was apprenticing in metalwork under Master Highpelt we would trade either for raw materials or finished goods."

Soon after my dad had retired from being a Knight of the Cross because of almost dying, Daniel had taken it upon himself to help pay the medical bills by apprenticing with a Ferrier. Knights of the Cross do not get company medical insurance. What Daniel did not know at the time was his 'master' happened to be the notorious Rumplestiltskin who tried pretty well to kill both of us. To this day my brother still preferred to refer to him as Master Highpelt.

"Ever have any dealings with them personally?" I asked.

"Yeah. They are fair but a pretty standoffish and secretive bunch led by their master smith Mr. Etri." Daniel reported which of course went well with what Harry had taught me about the Norse Black Elves. "The fact that I worked forming metal though made him willing to speak with me when Master Highpelt sent me to deal. He can be a rather big, scary guy in the middle of a negotiation." Daniel reported.

It is an odd irony that in our modern mythology the most common description of an elf was a small cute character that helped Santa make toys all year long. The oddity was not that elves were craftsman, but rather that they were small in these stories. True elves were actually man-sized or even slightly larger though very light weight comparatively.

Thanks to J.R.R. Tolkien there was also a misconception that elves and dwarves were two races that despised each other, the former loving forests and the latter their dark and musty mines. Once again this was a distortion of the Norse basis of the truth.

The light Seilee elves, those aligned to the Summer Court did prefer the wilds of nature, however their cousins the Unseilee Dark Elves were the ones who lived underground and created wonderful metal objects. In Norse mythology dwarves were merely a type or family of Dark Elves, probably ones slightly shorter or more likely stooped over. And in other such stories the tall Dark Elves were often times mistakenly called trolls for their dangerous nature and rather short tempers. May I remind you that Bob reported the Fomor did not like trolls. No wonder they had this group selected for that special level of Hell.

Okay, so I had Marcone, the location, and potentially another ally to use to my advantage. The barest makings of a plan that would probably be worthy of having the Mad Hatter offer me his 7 ¾ hat began to form in my mind. I checked Daniel's watch, a spring wound older type that tended to survive better than modern ones did around wizards. I had less than eight hours to pull everything together if it had even a ghost of a chance.

Worse still I would have to get Daniel to agree to my plans because I needed him to perform two actions that no one else could. The first was only mostly suicidal so I did not doubt for a second he would agree. Convincing him to perform the second was going to be harder still once he put the pieces together. I started with the easier of the two.

"Do you think you could still find the Svartalfar Daniel?" I asked, split between wanting him to say yes and no for his own sake.

"Sure." He said without hesitation. "It is not that far from my work site in fact."

"Yeah I figured." I agreed. "But keep in mind the Fomor are using these tunnels now as well. If you encounter any of them and you and pretty much the entire city of Chicago are screwed." The thought of my brother trapped in tunnels with them did not sit well until I considered the echo effects of such locations and popped my trunk before handing him two strings of firecrackers and a container of waterproof matches. Once he had those in his hands I explained request for a meeting I wanted him to pass to the elves. I chose the swankiest hotel in Chicago knowing it was a landmark and figuring I would put to use one of those gold coins I had collected.

"That is easy enough." Daniel said. "I can set I up and come back with Mr. Etri in a couple of hours and meet you…"

"No!" I said firmly stopping him in mid thought. He looked at me like a confused and scolded puppy.

"I need one more thing from you." I said and then laid out the second half of my plan for him, what that required in way of actions on his part, and then got ready for his explosion.

"NO WAY!" Actually there were a few additional explicative words caught in between those two that nearly left my mouth agape as they spewed from my brother's mouth. Had my mom Charity been here Daniel would have immediately come to savor the fine taste of Irish Spring. I will leave them to your imagination so as not to harm your sensibilities.

"Daniel, it will be fine." I said with a smile interrupting his current rant to prevent him from having to spend the next two weeks in confession. I also pushed a little confidence and calming emotion his way before continuing. "It's not like I am purposely suicidal or anything."

"Since when?" Ouch that hurt. Of course there was a grain of truth in there which is probably what made it hurt. But still that was not going to deter me from my plan considering everything at stake.

"Daniel, it is the only way to stop this." I explained trying to turn up the confidence but running up against emotions in him that were defying my subtle touch. I was not willing to push that any farther and not only because he was my brother though I admit I was tempted.

"Then you need to come up with another way." He said. "You cannot make me do this."

Actually I could, were I willing to cross that particular line again. Being apprenticed to someone like The Leanansidhe who had no convictions or restrictions against using her powers was rather educational to someone like me fighting against such desires.

Having the power to make someone do what you want them to, do what you know is right and necessary, has its own brand of seductiveness. I found myself sitting there in the car gathering magic even without noticing it as I thought out what little it would take to prove my brother wrong. But I had made a promise to Harry and I refused to go back on it even with everything at stake. If I had learned anything lately is that we are all subject to our choices, and so are those we make choices for.

This called for one more bit of reasoning. "Daniel, consider what this means for the rest of our family if we fail tonight." I said in just above a whisper and with my face staring down in my lap. Yeah it was a shot below the belt but at least it was an honest one where he would have to make his own final decision. The seriousness of my composure could not be faked.

We sat in silence for five minute. Him battling the argument I made within himself and me silently acting as an observer of his emotional struggles knowing that in the end as my father's son he could only make one choice. "Alright I will do it your way." He agreed finally and less than happily. "Will there be anything else?" He asked.

I thought quickly about the other aspects of my current set of problems. There were two he would be perfect for. "Yeah I assume you have your hardhat and toolbox in your truck?" I asked and he nodded immediately and confused. "Go get the truck and bring them back here please…" Another thought hit me at this moment as well "…oh and pick up three packages of Twinkies too." I offered an honest smile and he just shook his head before getting out of the car to do what I asked.

That left me sitting alone in the car thinking over the other facets of the problems I was facing and how exactly to manage them. It was times like these that I missed having Harry around for guidance. I did of course have Bob the Skull, but Harry had made Bob promise not to work directly with me fearing what could happen if the two of us ever joined forces.

I had learned of this arrangement overhearing Butters explaining it to Karrin one time but eventually with Krystal's help we came to an agreement that as long as Butters had possession of Bob, I could ask questions and the skull could answer without violating this pledge to Harry. Okay maybe it violated the underlying intent of the promise but it did not screw up the actual wording.

I smiled at my cleverness. It seemed like I was becoming more Fae-like every day. This moment of clarity led me to realize who I needed to speak with for advice and there was no time like the present.

"Leananasidhe, Leanansidhe, Leanansidhe I summon you…because I really need your wisdom." I said the last part low and meekly though I was certain the Handmaiden of Winter would hear it all the same. I just also knew she was very busy as of late and it was usually a good idea not to get too pushy with powerful Fae beings when calling them forth.

Over the past few months since Harry's death, something I had not wanted to fully believe until I was visited by his ghost, and up until just a two weeks ago Lea's training had become ever more intense and focused on making me a better and stronger wizard. Sure her tactics were just short of being classified as sadistically homicidal; high praise for the Fae. I could not, however, deny that in a short period of time I had gained more ability that I would have under Harry's steady tutelage in the same timeframe. That is not to say that I preferred her process, but I could not argue that the results were probably the reason I was still alive at the moment. As most millionaires and living wizards will tell you it is hard to argue with success.

"It is nice to be acknowledged for one's talents my dear." Lea said appearing in the very seat Daniel had been occupying a few minutes ago. She wore that annoyingly calm demeanor that the Fae wore most often, and especially right before they planned rip your heart out; trust me I had observed her do such things wearing this same look.

Lea was a beautiful woman and tried to project a caring, motherly type of aura toward me but I had witnessed both her power in Mexico as well as the way she had sang a little ditty as she braided entrails two weeks ago. There was a lot here to respect and fear regardless of her motherly attempts. "I could never get poor Harry to understand the need for such social amenities except in the direst of emergencies."

"Sorry to disappoint you Lea but I'm afraid this is also one of those 'direst of emergencies' situations." I said just a little embarrassed.

"Of course it is my dear." She said without breaking her smile or showing even a flicker of surprise. "You were Harry's apprentice after all, almost a daughter to him even. I can report with first-hand confidence that such things tend to follow his family line."

That was so true. However, I had hope for little Maggie that this particular trend had grabbed onto me and not her, or at least skipped a generation or ten. Lea continued to speak.

"What wisdom of mine is it you seek my dear?" She asked.

I laid out the situation as I understood it without divulging my knowledge of the Oblivion War aspects and then turned to what I had in mind currently on how to resolve it. The scheme I devised lacked the elegance of a Faerie's plan and the common sense and self-protections of a normal wizard's plan. Not that I had ever actually worked with a normal wizard, but I had read about them in books that Harry kept. I was hoping that Lea might offer a better option than the one I was creating or at a minimum suggest ways of improving the personal survivability of a rather perky wizard apprentice.

"I see all my training has not been in vain or a waste of my time after all my dear." Lea said with an odd nod of approval and a smile that could not possibly be faked. "You turn your opponents' strengths to weaknesses and their weaknesses into your strengths. You have others expend power and resources while you harbor yours for the most appropriate time. And you show a full commitment to your cause, willing to face your own destruction to achieve your desired ends."

I almost blushed under her honestly given compliments, though in my own analysis I would have used many other words to describe the plan; words like stupid, dangerous, and self-destructive. That said the confidence boost was not totally unwelcome at this time and place even considering it came from a rather psychotic Fae handmaiden with a perchance for internal human organ arts and crafts.

"I swear I will make a Faerie out of you yet my child." The Leanansidhe said with an even warmer smile that did nothing but send a cold chill running up my spine. It was like being complimented by Hannibal Lector on my unique cooking recipes.

Still as chilling as it was, hey it's a Winter Court faerie we are speaking of, I had to admit part of me basked in the compliment. Not that Harry had been stingy with them or anything, but I had to admit he had protected me more than push me like Lea did. She often said there are few things like life and death situations to truly test a student's powers and what he or she has learned. Therefore realizing I had her respect was not something I could ignore even though part of me wanted to simply because of how she had phrased her compliment. I'd have to watch myself even closer; that is if I lived through this evening.

"Will there be anything else?" Lea asked but I barely heard her as my mind had wandered a bit afield.

I wondered if Harry was watching over me from wherever he was now, and if he was doing so, would he was proud of who I had become. Or would he see a monster?

"Oh Harry…" I said aloud praying to God I could just feel his presence protecting and guiding me once more.

Almost as in response the world seemed to shudder. Okay that is not quite accurate. My emotional world seemed to shudder as if something great had occurred, though nothing I could immediately account for. It was like a geological gauge measuring an earthquake in a far off land without those taking the readings feeling any of the actual motion themselves.

My first instinct that someone close to me had died, my dad, mom, or maybe Daniel but the emotional resonance, for lack of a better word did, not have that type of feeling of finality. It did send a lance of physical cold through me, however, which was an odd effect for the fifteenth of August. Sure I was sitting across from one of the Winter Court and that might account for such a feeling too, however Lea's expression seemed to echo the shock of my own. I knew whatever it was The Leanansidhe had felt the sudden change also.

"Lea?" I asked confused but her cold and emotionless mask returned immediately. Still I knew that she was wise to what had really just happened somewhere even if she chose not to share.

"I believe you have things here well in hand child and now I know my presence may be required somewhere else." She said confirming for me that she knew something big was afoot.

She took a moment to calculate. "You should focus on the tasks and training at hand dear and not get distracted." She patted my cheek. "You have come a long way, but still have an interesting journey before you."

That was either incredibly dismissive of the threat I had explained to her, or rather intimidating in boding that what I faced now was merely a step toward issues even greater in my future that she seemed aware of. It is not surprising why so many wizards are not particularly large fans of prophecy. Rarely is it something you look forward to.

"Remember, only eleven more shopping weeks left…" She said and faded away from sitting beside me.

This instinctually struck me as wrong. "Christmas is more than four months away." I said aloud and confused to the space she had been sitting in moments before.

"Who said I was speaking of Christmas child?" Lea's voice spoke in my head with a hint of shared enticement and then I knew she was truly gone and off handling other issues.

I ran the calculation through my head. Eleven weeks from today would be October thirty first; Halloween. And at that moment Daniel's truck came around the corner and stopped right behind my car taking me away from the future and back to the here and now.

I watched in the rearview mirror as he got out of the car carrying his big heavy tool box in one hand like it weighed nothing and his yellow construction helmet under his other arm. As a fan of roadrunner cartoons I never understood how a piece of plastic was supposed to protect a guy's head from a falling girder until my dad explained it was made for protecting from smaller things like hot rivets which suddenly made a whole lot more sense. I still thought it looked funny though.

Daniel did not, however, and opened the door and sat down again leveraging the toolbox into the backseat next to Bob's carrying case while I continued to keep an eye out for the delivery vehicle. While he fussed around I figured I'd see if he knew if things had calmed down near Karrin house yet or if we still had reasons to worry.

"Police still have the cordon up?" I asked looking at a panel truck turn the corner but then recognizing with a little disappointment it was a plumber's vehicle and not a FedEx truck. It was not lost on me that the enemy had used a moving van to get weapons close to Marcone's hideout so as the plumbing truck got closer I tensed a bit, but it eventually pulled into the driveway at a home up the street. The man that emerged could not possibly be a trained killer mercenary based on way too much butt crack he was showing even at this distance. Yet another image I should scour from my mind.

Daniel finished his fiddling around and turned back to me and then placed the toolbox on the floorboards at his feel. "Everything you need is in here just as you asked. I'd like you to give it all back in the same pristine condition when this is over." He said tapping the box. The fact that it was steel helped ensure a bit that stray magic would not damage anything inside if monsters came calling and spells were required.

"No promises little brother." I said yanking his chain as he did somewhat tower over me in both height and mass. "You know how things go. If I can I will try to leave all of it here in the car for you to collect later." I tried to smile but he was not going for it.

After a moment I nodded that I had said all I could since there just were no appropriate words and he did the same before opening his door and getting out. I pulled Bob's case from the backseat and handed it to him. "Don't forget to take this along." I said as took it from me.

"Are you sure about all of this?" Daniel asked one last time trying to stay my protective brother who had hated every date I ever brought home.

I wanted to explain to him that since Harry died I don't think I have been sure of anything in my life this complex. Hell I was never even sure where I was going to sleep or eat one day to the next. I was never sure if I was even going to be alive to see the next dawn or if I would see my family and friends again. As far as my existence was currently concerned, surety was not currently a part of it. Maybe if I lived through this night I could do something about that.

But of course we wizards have to appear all knowing, at least that is what the propaganda literature we subscribed to said. Even though I was not sure, I had to seem like I was for Daniel…and for myself.

"Of course." I lied. "Watch out for yourself bro." I said as lighthearted as I could muster.

"You too sis." He said nodding before going back to his truck carrying the case and driving off. I watched him turn the corner out of sight and then put all those thoughts out of my mind until all this was resolved. I had other things to focus on and time was becoming more of an issue.

I realized that there were still aspects of information and communication that I needed to pull this all off and thankfully I had the foresight to set a means to achieve this. Of course since I did not have the access to the internet or cell phones I was forced to improvise with a magical world equivalent. On the bright side instead of being trapped with a two-year data plan all I needed was an occasional pizza, or a few packs of Twinkies.

I pulled together a small amount of magic and then released the power as part of a summoning spell. "General Toot, I have some Twinkies here with your name on them."

True the process of summoning was hardly as fast as dialing someone on the other side of the planet and immediately talking to them, but then again it was hardly as long as waiting for your favorite author to put out their next book either. Within a minute of my magical call there was a red streaking comet flying down out of the sky and straight toward my car. The unwrapped Twinkies never had a chance…

With his sweet tooth momentarily sated, and after a quick count of my fingers to ensure they were all still there, I looked to Toot who sat casually sated on the passenger seat with one hand wiping the last drips of whipped cream from his lips while his other rubbed his stomach. He turned to me with a smile. "Oh hi Molly, when did you get here?" The eighteen inch sprite asked me with a true sense of surprise. No one ever doubted the single-mindedness of beings of the Faerie world.

"Um for a little bit." I said not wanting the sprite to feel self conscious or let him understand I knew his weakness for food.

"Wow, would you like a Twinkie?" He asked looking around but of course there was only the wrappers left from all three packages.

"No thanks." I said. "I'm on a diet." I tried to get him to stop looking for more Twinkies so I could focus on my own purposes. I took a breath and decided to ease my way into it.

"What have the ZaZaGuard learned lately of the magical problems facing Chicago?" I asked wondering if the sprite would even recall the mission orders he had agreed to. I also wanted to make sure I was specific enough to not get bogged down with traffic reports and such.

Without a pause he responded. "We have maintained surveillance on all the required targets and completed the underground reconnaissance you directed." He said surprising me by not only recalling my directions but obviously staying on top of these issues. But my shock was only just beginning.

"Oh and the wizard that Harry called The Gatekeeper is in town and says he is looking for you." He reported as an almost afterthought.

"WHAT?" I asked in near panic completely blowing my all cool wizard persona. "What does he want?"

There were not too many reasons why a wizard of the ruling White Council would come looking for me and I none of those I could come up with were particularly good news to me. Considering the timing of this arrival it could also be an extremely bad reason, worse even than fulfilling my execution sentence, – not that my survival was all that assured at the moment anyway.

"He merely has been asking after you and your location though none of us has chosen to provide him the answers that he seeks." Toot said proudly. It was not that I doubted the fairy, but as I was all too familiar with their loyalties could easily come into question with the right application of sugar or tomato sauce. Time suddenly became a much bigger concern and now I obviously needed some breathing room as well.

"Okay Toot first I need the finished reconnaissance map and then I need your guards to pass along a few vital messages for me." I explained quickly trying to piece things together in the face of this added complication. Why does everyone screw with the wizard apprentice?

He handed over the map and the sharpies, those showing a bit more wear and tear than when I had provided them. I guess fairies like to bite on the ends of pencils too, rather than merely restricting themselves to just every type of food product they can get their hands upon. A quick glance at the street map of Chicago showed me the appropriate scribbles I was hoping for and in combination with spy's map I probably had a good wealth of data for Marcone. This led me to my first request.

"I need the spy you have on Marcone to pass along a letter from me." I said trying to think of how I could convince the crime lord to come out of hiding and meet with me tonight. It was doubtful that he would believe some random fairy showing up on his doorstep so the wording had to be something that left no doubt that it came from me. The other messages would face similar doubts so had to be properly tailored to each audience as well. I took some scrap paper out of the glove compartment and with the same Sharpies wrote messages to three intended targets.

I sent the first to Marcone and basically explained in my rather annoying tone that his golf date said if he had any hope of reaching second base next time he better offer to buy me dinner tonight, preferably Chinese. Keeping it personal and annoying would be my best chance of convincing him the message was not a trap while the vagueness would prevent too many enemies from understanding my plan if the message was intercepted. As an afterthought I also promised to return to him what he had lost recently hoping he understood the reference to the spy's data. Since he suspected how valuable it was I figured her would either come himself or at least send a trusted agent for it.

The second letter I sent addressed to Thomas, though I did explain that if they could not find him – since he had not been one of the targets I had set a fairy spy on – then they should give it to Felecia who was one. That message was far more direct and to the point merely saying that I would reveal the identity of the White Court vampire's who killed Marcone's spy to either of them if they showed up at the consulate party tonight.

I had little doubt with Lara's pull either of them would have any trouble getting on the invitee list even at the last moment. While I did not trust Felecia, I did realize that her desire to benefit by providing this information to Lara herself would guarantee her cooperation and attendance if the fairies could not find Thomas. This was one of those problems I hoped would not come back to bite me in the ass; or anywhere else for that matter.

The last letter I sent to The Gatekeeper hoping to buy myself a little bit of time and distance to see my plan through. The problem was I was unsure what to say to him as I barely knew him and certainly did not know his current motivations. "Please leave me alone" was just not going to cut it with him if he had come here to kill me. If he had come for some other purpose then I did not want to anger him to the point of actually wanting to kill me. What was required was hopefully to get him to step aside for tonight and if I lived through all of this I could deal with him tomorrow. But how does one delay one of the most powerful wizards on Earth?

"_Senior Council Member (The) Gatekeeper,_

_I hope my delivery fairy finds you well. The fairies of Chicago have informed me of you desire to speak with me but events currently in motion make this meeting impossible before tomorrow at the earliest. Measures of great importance are underway that reach from these city streets to the cornerstone of the Parthenon itself and bode the direst of consequences for us all if not properly attended to. I ask your indulgence to await my conclusion of this business and especially not to seek me out in Greece this night. I humbly thank you for this consideration._

_White Council Apprentice Molly Carpenter"_

Yeah this was like asking the executioner to be gentle but since I figured I had nothing to lose I went for it all the same. My biggest concern is that apprentices were not allowed to lie to members of the Senior Council. That was why I had to be very precise in my wording. You will note I did not say I _would_ be in Greece, merely that I requested he not seek me out in Greece. If questioned later I could reply honestly that I did not want him wasting his time looking for me where I had no actual intention of going. If he misunderstood my wording then he would have my apology for poor choice of words but I would not truly be guilty have violated the rule on lying.

With those messages completed I sent Toot on his way just as the familiar dark brown of a UPS truck came slowly down the street toward me just as Daniel had expected. I got out of the car and flagged the driver down. Thankful he was male and willing to stop presumably for all young women obviously wanting to get his attention. It cost me a little small talk of explaining about the police barrier ahead and then presenting him with my driver's license as proof of my identity but my winning smile, and subtle 'trust me' nudges of magical emotions and he agreed to sign over my package right there.

I tossed the package, a three-foot long wrapped box, on the passenger seat of my car and headed off for my destination – The Waldorf Astoria hotel of Chicago. Though some may choose to argue, most of the residents consider this the pinnacle hotel in the city harkening back in its architecture to the 1930s and the glory days of Al Capone. Chicago still has an odd love affair with the notorious gangster.

For me on this night I knew the Waldorf would offer both anonymity and protection I needed in the sense that no one would come seeking the Rag Lady here. Sure it was not cheap, but armed with gold coins and an understanding hotel concierge the price was not really a problem.

Truth be told I was quite aware my chances of surviving this night were less than slim to none and staying at the Waldorf was one of those bucket list promises I had made to myself long ago. All things considered now seemed like the perfect time.

I checked into my room, something I learned had more acreage than my family's entire yard, and breathed deeply of the decadence the room was bathed in. Yeah I could certainly get used to something like this for myself I thought with a smile.

I placed the UPS box on the sitting room table and slowly unwrapped it. Madame Yukihyou it appeared had rather expensive taste I noted as I pulled the black and pale silk kimono out of the box and spread it out neatly on the bed in the next room. I was so taken in by the garment's feel as I pulled it from the box that I barely noticed the matching silk slippers that came with it.

The kimono's back was decorated with the face of a white Bengal tiger. I smiled wondering if this was sent as an intentional subtle message to me of some sort or just an issue of random chance.

I knew one thing though. Wearing this tonight I could never be called the Rag Lady.

For tonight I would be Apprentice Wizard Molly Carpenter.


	15. Chapter 15

**Honor's Debt**

**_Tuesday Evening - Later _**

**_Chapter 15_**

Dinner was scheduled for seven based upon the invitation I found in the box under the kimono. That meant I had the time to pamper myself a little bit before heading to the party. I called down to guest services to schedule an immediate manicure and pedicure service for thirty minutes from now which was just leaving me enough time to shower and dry my hair with my patented hair dryer spell.

Yeah I know it was hardly something the male members of the White Council probably ever thought much about using magic to accomplish. However, when I had inadvertently demonstrated it in front of Warden Luccio one time when she was visiting at Harry place I swear she nearly fell over out of her chair in total shock and envy.

"For four hundred years I have been running around with wet hair, tangles, and split ends and a mere apprentice comes up with this?" She said shaking her head like I had invented sliced bread or some such.

By the way she went on you'd think I had violated some unwritten Eight Law of Magic or something but her shock was at her own folly and oversight. This eventually translated to a grudging smile of approval at my novel application of my own limited power once I taught her the technique. Harry told me later it took the Warden about half a dozen tries to get the wind and temperature portions just right to prevent split ends so this magic is highly unlikely to solve all Paul Mitchell's hair product issues in the foreseeable future. Unofficially over the next few months as word got out my stock went up among the female members of the White Council.

I was just putting down the phone and about to get undressed for my shower when I was nearly scared out of my skin by uniquely sinister voice standing right behind me. Worse still it was a male voice and after the initial shock one I immediately recognized. I must admit this recognition came only after a squeak of surprise that was obviously made by a rare ventriloquist mouse hidden somewhere in the room and NOT by a trained and deadly perky wizard apprentice that all the bad folk in Chicago feared.

"I believe we both would be more comfortable Apprentice Carpenter if you were to keep your clothes on for the moment." The Gatekeeper's deep, echoing and uniquely British-Arab accent spoke as a request from two steps or so right behind me.

"Eeeeeep!" Damn all those ventriloquist rodents for making me look like I was scared!

I spun around but did not pull in any magic to myself as I realized that would be a particularly bad thing to do. First of all was the very fact that he was a Senior Council wizard which we are not supposed to attack. Second it was also obviously that he had the drop on me which made me understand immediately that he was not planning on executing me just yet at least. It helped that a quick reading by my emotional senses were currently confirming the same thoughts though they did register that he was radiating a slight sense of annoyance.

"Uuuuummmm…" That was all I could say. Yep that's me. Harry taught his apprentice all his skills in wit, charm, and eloquence at speaking under pressure.

"You will have to excuse my interruption but I could not afford to await you convenience tomorrow, nor the time it would take to travel to Greece after you, if you truly had such a destination in mind." His face was hidden beneath the rich purple cowl of his robe but between my knack for reading emotions and the way the right side of the material rose ever so slightly I was sure he was raising an eyebrow in challenge above and beyond the mere aspects of menace and power that nearly dripped from him.

"No problem." I said finally finding actual words; two of them in fact since that was about all I was able at the moment to piece together. Sure I know I have faced down evil Fomor wizards and other pretty nasty things but keep in mind that not only was The Gatekeeper an incredibly formidable wizard, one of the ten oldest of our order, but he was also a representative of the White Council. Beyond that there was that death sentence hanging over my head as well. Even I was not stupid enough to fail to realize that the fastest way to get him to carry out this sentence was to annoy him by saying or doing something asinine, such as attacking him.

I had been in The Gatekeeper's presence before, I suddenly remembered Harry telling me his real name was Rashid, but during those rare times Harry had stood as a buffer between me and the rest of the White Council. I will also admit in those cases I was so overwhelmed and usually scares by events taking place that I barely took notice of anyone. In the case of Rashid all I recalled was his distinctive appearance at nearly seven feet in height making him taller than Harry, and his previously described Arab-British accent. I let my eyes try to make a better assessment now in case I still had a future and the two of us ever crossed paths again.

Beyond his height and his elegant but travel worn deep, purple robe, the only details that immediately jumped out at me were his calloused and scared hands and his imposing bone white staff that was slightly taller than him. This as you know is of course the standard and preferred weapon of all true wizards; though I still favored my wands as they were easier to conceal and I did not channel nearly as much magic anyway. The most important thing to note about Rashid's was that the grip looked well worn and comfortable in the Senior Council wizard's hand. This was a very important detail to note where survival was in question.

Lest you think… geez I was in The Gatekeeper's presence for thirty seconds and I am using words like 'lest?' Next thing you know I will be talking about crumpets and tea or something.

Anyway, lest you think a staff is merely some simple stick or tree branch that a wizard yanks down and starts hurling magic through let me explain that it is an incredibly personal and deadly unique piece of equipment. A wizard's staff often reveals much about the wielder if you knew what to look for and therefore offered hints as to his power.

First of all the wood source of the staff has to come from a place of personal connection to the wizard so the two share a bond of connection. That way the first time he or she pushes magic through it the wood does not blow up in his or her face. Harry's staffs, he has had more than one because he has been a bit hard on them, were made from an old tree on the ranch Harry grew up on while apprenticed to Senior Wizard McCoy.

Next the wood had to come from an older hardwood tree to ensure the strength of the staff for doing stupid things like smacking ogres over the back of the head and such without breaking. Very little is as disconcerting as hitting an opponent only to piss them off and leave you holding a broken weapon in your hands.

Last, and most important, the tree had to become naturally infused with power, preferably magic power over time. One such example of this occurs with trees growing on or very near to ley lines, though truth be told that is not nearly as common as you actually might think. The surges or power that run along ley lines is often too much for acorns to bloom or for saplings to survive long enough to grow into sturdy trees.

In the case of Harry's staffs, the source was instead an old lightning struck tree. I was not certain but I had a feeling this made the staff more proficient at tossing around powerful spells of wind and destruction because the staff had been infused with power by an act of violent destruction. But hey that was just my theory. For all I know maybe it could one have been a dryad tree or something that The Blackstaff used to spy on your female faeries. No I never told anyone I thought that.

All that being said you are probably asking Molly why the heck are you wasting my time explaining this? Well it is because I want you to think about how incredibly rare a hardwood, magically charged tree in the middle of the deserts of the Middle East is to come by. Once you have that also recall that it had to be an old tree back before Rashid became The Gatekeeper which was hundreds of years ago.

I was not about to ask but I, as the daughter of a man who carried one of the three nails from the Crucifixion in his sword, would not be surprised to learn the staff in his hand was something equally incredible. There were rumors that a series of staves had been created from the original Tree of Wisdom in the Garden of Eden and that these particular staves were extremely potent against the forces of Chaos much like my father's sword had been created to oppose evil. With what I had learned of the Oblivion War, I wondered if an Eden staff was the therefore the perfect tool of preference for The Gatekeeper. Think about the possibilities.

"Apprentice Carpenter, so there is no chance for confusion let me begin with the statements that I personally hold no grudge against you and furthermore my respect for you former master and therefore his willingness to accept a death sentence for your sake to take you on as his apprentice speaks volumes to me on your character and capability." Rashid said from deep within his dark hood. While his words were respectful his growing air of menace and power was not comforting to me.

"I explain this openly and honestly to you because you deserve that honor at least for all you have accomplished in your short tenure as an apprentice of the White Council." He said and I now also felt a sense of sorrow building up ever so slightly in him. In most cases such a combination of emotions are easy to deal with but when someone of raw power feels this way you can almost be certain they are resigning themselves to a course of action.

"I have come to understand though my sources that you have recently immersed yourself inadvertently in events beyond your scope and capability. While this normally results in an apprentice's self destruction or education through personal suffering, both of which are teaching methods approved by the Council, I fear that to allow you this opportunity is far too great a risk for the rest of us." He said like he was reading from a menu and declaring some of the meals too rich for his tastes. I felt his hardening of his emotions until they were like stone.

Okay that was enough to set off my spidey sense. Normally a wizard like me would draw in power and prepare to fight when scared but I was not going to kid myself that I would last long enough to even exchange shots if I took this course of action. Therefore that left only fleeing as a reasonable choice.

Unfortunately Rashid stood between me and the door to the hallway so my next best option was getting to the bathroom. Maybe I could get in there and work a veil or an illusion to protect me from him. Hell maybe if I stood under the shower while it was running full blast the flowing water would defuse any magic sent my way. Yeah these were gasping at straws but they were all I had presently. I bolted just as he began to speak again but kept my eyes watching his staff for the blow I feared was coming my way.

Instead of the staff though he flicked his fingers and released a mere dab of power in my direction and suddenly I was falling right on my face. Granted it was really nice thick carpet with quality padding and all but it still hurt like hell when I landed. I looked to see what had tripped me and found his burst of power had merely been used to tie my shoelaces together! "That is so unfair!" I said aloud trying to kick off my shoes but the laces pulled themselves tighter drawing my feet and ankles together in the process.

"That was a spell I used fairly often when I was sent off to study in England." The Gatekeeper explained. "I found it was a great means to even the score with the rich, pampered bullies at Oxford while maintaining plausible deniability for blame at the same time. It is also why I choose to wear slippers or sandals rather than Western shoes."

"Look I know the Rag Lady thing looks bad on paper but honestly I have not killed anyone with magic or violated any of the other laws." I said in my own defense as an opening gambit. Legally, using an illusion to have one person kill another with say a gun is technically not a violation of the First Law of Magic in that a wizard is not controlling the responses of the other parties. If no gun was fired by the party in question that the illusion itself would not have killed anyone so legally I could not be held to blame for a magical death. Besides, Fomor and the majority of their hired muscle were not human anyway. They were beings like ghouls and vampires, so killing them was also not technically a violation of the magic laws.

"I am not here because of your Rag Lady activities to date." Rashid replied releasing another flicker of magic that lifted my body up as drawstrings from the curtains bound my arms to my sides and a third spell that slid a small end table under my chest for me to rest upon while kneeling over the floor with my head sticking out very executioner style. "Were that my impetus for this unfortunate encounter then I believe you would find me an ally against the Fomor you face, that is if had the luxury of such time to divert to these things. I am afraid it is something even graver."

"Then what?" I asked totally confused. Sure he could have come to carry out the standing Sword of Damocles punishment hanging over my head but his honest compliments to me said enough to say he did not agree with that punishment either. Furthermore that would be an action for a Warden and not a member of the Senior Council to attend to unless the execution was to be public, which this one obviously was not. Senior Council member only got involved in event when these issues interfered with their chosen or assigned portfolios or the Council itself was at stake.

"I am sorry but I am not at liberty to say for the explanation alone would promote the very events that I am seeking to prevent through this regrettably but necessary action." He said rotating his staff three times in a circle only to have it magically transform into a desert scimitar. It gleamed along its edge even though the blade maintained that odd pale wood color of the original staff. I could not take my eyes from it as Rashid began to raise over my head for its single decisive sweep. "I promise you to make this as painless as I can. I take no pleasure in this action but do what I must for the sake of…"

"The Oblivion War." I screamed as it began to descend hearing that his own word of choice had been 'humanity.'

I give him credit for his blade work. Though he could not completely stop the swing meant to cleave cleanly through my neck he was able to turn it aside enough that ultimately only a lock of my hair was separated from my body by the blade.

Staring at the blonde strands really made me think of how close I was at that moment to death. My dad was right in that the confession had helped me find some peace of mind in this. And because I'm a girl a random thought also crossed my mind that if I get out of this night alive maybe I should cut my hair short again too. I needed a new look anyway.

Yeah, guys just don't waste time asking. It is just how the female mind works.

There was a very long drawn out moment of silence that hung in the air between us as my eyes were forced to stare at that pale blade merely an inch beyond the end of my cute and perky apprentice nose. Normally I would think that this meant Rashid was considering my words carefully before deciding on his next course of action. If this were some heroic fiction or one of Bob's bodice ripping novels he would probably suddenly see that I am a good guy…okay girl… and we would join sides, and in the case of Bob's books stop to have wild monkey sex or something. Yeah that is so not how things work in the magical world of wizards.

Because I am a sensitive wizard I recognized immediately that what The Gatekeeper was actually doing was calling magic to him for a spell. And when I say magic I mean a lot of magic. A lot in the sense of if magic were water then I was able to channel a creek like Harry could call forth the Mississippi River. At that moment if felt like what The Gatekeeper was pulling in was sort of like filling up the reservoir held back by the Hoover Dam. There was a whole lot of magic being pulled into the room and his strength and stability were the only things keeping all that power from washing me away.

Wanna know if you are suicidal. If any of you thought 'Molly…call up your own power' then you are. Go seek professional help! Sure I hear you thinking it would be genius to hit him while he was concentrating and I agree it would be a bold move to do so, sort of spitting in The Gatekeeper's eye, but would be like distracting someone trying to defuse a nuclear bomb. There just is not a whole lot of upside.

Realistically, do you think if you spit into the water by the Hoover Dam it truly impresses anyone including the dam? Any power I shot his way he probably suck up and thank me for. I am paraphrasing a common statement in that 'There are OLD wizards and there are BOLD wizards, however there are very few OLD, BOLD wizards. So NO I did not call up my magic and spit in the eye of The Gatekeeper, thank you very much!

Soon the room felt like it was the center of a magical tornado and by all rights this amount of energy contained in a small area should probably have shorted out anything electrical in the room, heck maybe even the entire hotel. What was even scarier to me and demonstrated how outclassed I was is that it did not. Like the Hoover Dam it appeared Rashid was not leaking any of the power he had contained.

"Apprentice Margaret Carpenter hear my words!" Rashid's voice boomed as if coming from another world or the world's biggest concert speakers without causing the immediate deafness. As he spoke he walked around me dragging his white sword so that the end burned a line in the carpeting. Boy was housekeeping going to be pissed between the burned carpet and the decapitated body on the floor.

"So there is no misunderstanding you have not commuted your execution by the use of those sacred words but instead have provided yourself a temporary stay and most likely an even more complete destruction than a mere beheading." Okay, well maybe the maid will only have to deal with the seven foot ritualistic circle of burnt carpet and not be traumatized for the rest of her life with a body as well.

Speaking of traumatized for life, I think I have told you that I know that I am not all that stable at the moment. Not that I ever really was since the first point of coming into my powers, but my trip with Harry to Mexico certainly ratcheted that particular problem up another notch or two. Because of this as Rashid declared my imminent demise it took everything I had not to respond with… "Good night Wesley, good work today, sleep well, I will most likely have to kill you in the morning…" Aarrgggg… it was so hard NOT to say it! And I felt certain Harry would have said it.

With his circle completed Rashid flicked his fingers and the drapery cords holding my arms looped to my shoes and pulled me back in a kneeling position where at least my upper body was sitting straight up. I was still secured like a hog for butchering, but the way he moved the end table away from me and carefully out of the circle to not disturb it said he was not going to kill me until after we talked some more. Removing the table would also prevent me from using it to break his magic circle if I got the chance. I was disappointed but not surprised. No one ever accused the members of the Senior Council for being rash or stupid, even when pissed off.

With another wave of his arms The Gatekeeper released the vast majority, we are talking ninety percent or more, of the magic he had gathered. It flowed away in waves to empower and strengthen his protective circle with the two of us contained on the inside.

I had watched Harry create similar circles that at the time seemed like solid, brick walls of magic. What the Gatekeeper had created here in the hotel room was like the Great Wall of China made from solid ten foot thick bank vault steel. The mere effect of its power was so great that everything beyond the wall became opaque and indistinguishable not only my eyes but to all my other senses as well. There was no way anything short of a demigod was going to break down this ward from the outside, and even that was doubtful.

Sometimes if you are really lucky and the opposing wizard incredibly sloppy and overconfident, you can pull off some sort of martial arts-like move to push them into the magic wall and break their own line. It was obvious from the way he moved and kept aware of my position at all times that Rashid had seen those movies as well. The one time I tensed my laces tightened even more preventing any form of jumping lunge I might make.

He also stayed more than my full body's length away so I could not even fall and push him down. I should note that he was still always close enough to reach out and smack me with his staff if my attitude proved intransigent. Boy, the file they have on me in the White Council must be pretty accurate if he knew to do that.

As I knelt there almost helpless, I felt the overriding sense of tension and toll it took on his body from channeling that level of magic and controlling it until the resulting ward was fully stable. Once it was not in danger of collapsing I sensed that his focus changed into probing the resulting ward with his magical senses ensuring that it was securely built and without flaw on any side. This allowed me to see that the magic was not merely circling us as I first thought. Instead we were held in a cylinder that surrounded us on the top and bottom as well. Once he appeared certain all was in order I felt him relax a bit as he turned to regard me and then with a snap of his fingers my bindings fell free and I was loose and free to move, starting by rubbing my wrists and ankles.

"Within the bounds of this ward you may speak freely without fear of being heard by any being but myself Apprentice Carpenter." The Gatekeeper said taking a seat cross legged on the floor opposite me which still left me looking slightly upward at him. I also noted that he left his sword resting across his knees and that his hand never strayed far from the hilt if I acted foolishly. With his other hand though he bid me to get comfortable and out of courtesy, and without really another choice, I did.

"I believe you prefer tea to coffee?" He asked waving this hand again and making a silver tea set appear between us that from the steam and aroma seemed ready to pour. He did not wait for my reply before pouring me a cup that floated over to me on it saucer to land gently at my feet.

"I will also assume you have the manners not to try using this as a weapon?" He said as the thought of doing just that began to trickle in my mind. "I was given this set by the Czarina. It was a terrible thing that happened to their family. Just glad I was able to rescue Anastasia." Wow, that would be so easy to get distracted by. Thankfully I realized I was still facing death myself.

"Well you were about to cut my head off just a moment ago." I countered defensively.

"And I may still have to moments from now." Rashid replied without any sense of embarrassment. "But that does not mean we cannot enjoy the time in between as civilized beings Molly." Wow if I ever needed a cheerleader for the live in the moment lifestyle I knew where to turn.

What the hell there were worse philosophies I guess. I sipped the tea and found that it was not so hot as to burn my tongue and also tasted spicy and exotic taste with just a hint of honey as a natural sweetener.

"Delicious." I said because I really did not know what else to say before putting down the cup and because he obviously was waiting for me to say something.

"I am glad you approve." He said with a nod of his hood though I have to admit the whole Darth Vader's master act was creating a contrary image in my mind to the kind and caring host image he was going for. He finished his own cup in three long sips while staring at me from beneath the folds of his deep, dark hood.

For my part I sat there silently being judged, comfortable and accepting of it because it was what Harry had explained would happen with every wizard I ever dealt with. I am not a fan of being judged, probably a holdover from my death sentence, but I had learned how to accept it. Besides making a fuss about it usually just made it last longer.

"I believe you mentioned the Oblivion War." Rashid said at last breaking the silence and setting a tone for a respectful conversation; one with a serious, make that lethal undertone. "To my understanding for the past two centuries that term and the knowledge behind has been restricted to only two members of the White Council. As I am one, and I am fairly certain the bylaws do not permit an apprentice to take on the mantle of The Merlin I must assume you came by this knowledge through some other means." He explained casually in a light-hearted tone but danger flashed in his emotions.

"I assume therefore your source of this rare knowledge was the Wizard Harry Dresden?" The Gatekeeper asked directly. It was obvious that this was not what he wanted to hear however.

I could sense his mind frantically calculating which was disconcerting for members of the Senior Council. Based upon what Thomas had explained this was understandable though. If the Oblivion War was being fought against beings whose existence was only barely known and this served as a means to keep their power in our world limited it was important to monitor who had this knowledge in the first place. Obviously the White Council controlled this tightly within its own ranks.

And that therefore meant if Harry had somehow become aware of it on his own and then told me about it, which left Rashid to wonder who else might he have told as well? I had little doubt The Gatekeeper's serious threat to destroy me for having this knowledge now had potentially expanded to all of Harry's associates as a protective measure to contain the spread of this information. Considering this was wrong anyway my normal defiant nature against authority was repressed by my protective one of my friends.

"No." I said in response as calmly as I could while adding a wave of subtle confidence building emotion to my words. "To my knowledge Harry had no idea this war was being fought and if he did, he certainly never shared it with me or anyone else." Come on Gatekeeper, believe me on this point at least I hoped without letting it show on my face.

"You may dispense with the subtle emotional manipulations Apprentice Carpenter." Rashid said surprising me that he even sensed this as no one had called me out on it before. From his hint of amusement I had no doubt the look of surprise at getting caught probably showed on my face.

"Do not be offended or surprised. I was performing the very same trick a century or more ago on young and beautiful Bedouin women when negotiating for olives and dates." While the last word was probably meant to represent the desert fruit, the mild inflection in his presentation and emotional hint of mischievous nature in tone told me it was a play on words for much more. I decided that I was not about to ask him to clarify further since it seems I have the worst dating life in the entire White Council.

Of course technically emotional pushes might be considered a violation of the Law of Magic against dominating another's will so I was in a bad position except he had now admitted to doing the same himself. That sort of left us with an honor among thieves moment. "Ummm, I am sorry about that." I apologized. "It has become second nature."

"Don't be." Rashid chuckled. "It has been many years since anyone, even an inexperienced apprentice, demonstrated such a skill in my presence and truth be told you are quite adept at it." He complimented me. "Were I not a sensitive mage like yourself I might not have even perceived it. However, since I am such an action is sort of like playing a trumpet in a library for me; it is hard not to notice."

Holy cow! "Wait you are a sensitive wizard?" I asked. "I thought my magic was incredibly rare and I was like the only one. And besides, don't Senior Council wizards have to have cornered the market on destruction spells and stuff life that?"

"It is any incredibly rare talent." Rashid confirmed what Harry had told me. "And in most who are blessed with its gift the power is barely enough to register and certainly not strong enough to qualify for joining the White Council. Most with the gift are resigned to selling products on television infomercials, conning others into buying used cars, or forming cults of followers who chant their name and want to have sex with them."

"Still you are a member of the Senior Council." I said stating the obvious. Way to go Molly. "Don't you need the power to blow shit… I mean things… up and stuff?" I asked.

"I have been known to destroy my fair share of buildings when called upon to do it, though I admit honestly that you former master Harry Dresden seemed more adept and experienced in that particular talent in his few short years than I have in my centuries of life." He said.

"My other skills in sensitive magic are much more aligned to my particular portfolio than the tossing of combat magic. We face many threats in this world and hitting them head on is not always the correct answer." He finished and took a breath before turning the conversation again.

"This returns me to my original question which you have failed to answer though now I have answered one of your own." His tone became even a bit more serious though still not overtly threatening. "How then did you come by your knowledge of the Oblivion War?"

There was little to be gained from lying to Rashid. Sure I could try and protect Thomas but the current alliance signed between the White Council and White Court would do that far better than me keeping my mouth shut. Therefore with nothing to lose I answered as best I saw it.

"Actually I was… I guess the term is 'recruited'… for the war by one of the Venatori." I said without actually mentioning Thomas by name. Had I reached up and smacked The Gatekeeper with a magical frying pan I doubt I could have shocked him more. Wait a minute! A magical frying pan spell? I will have to think on that some more.

"That is…" He seemed at loss for words and the silence dragged on as I waited for him to complete his thought. "…unprecedented."

"Yeah that is sort of the impression I got as well." I tried the cute and perky wizard apprentice smile without the subtle emotional push this time. Trust me, all things being equal I would rather have been signed up for the jam of the month club or put on a reality television show." Damn, that snark just escapes anytime I let my guard down.

The Gatekeeper snorted. "You do honor your master's memory." He said in a way that almost seemed a compliment. I locked myself down and waited for his next question since I was not completely sure I trusted myself to fill in the silence.

It took a few more moments for Rashid to devise his next question and if my senses were correct it was because he was weighing out the possible repercussions of numerous courses of action. "I am sorry but I fear this is a story I will require from the beginning because of its widespread potential for harm." He said to me at last. "You may for the moment keep the identity of your Venatori sponsor a secret. However, depending on what I am told that detail may become necessary for me as well."

I nodded and began. "Okay, where to begin?" I said aloud. "I guess a few years ago I inadvertently became embroiled against a group of Neo-Nazi's and an ancient German pagan goddess searching for a magical artifact with the power to create a new god in their likeness." I do not tell this story too often because really, with a lead in like that who would not immediately think I was about fifty-one cards short of a full deck?

"Yes I am familiar with your efforts and actions in the Nerthus affair." The Gatekeeper said nodding which caught me off guard. I was not sure Harry ever learned of it. I am certain I never explained it just as a means to not suffer his wrath for impersonating him.

"I will admit I was unfamiliar with the fact that YOU fully understood the implications of the events you were a part of." The Gatekeeper's mind was running multiple marathons now. "The Merlin reported after his interview with you that you seemed none the wiser about the repercussions of this event so you truly must also have an impressive acting ability to draw upon so as to deceive him and the rest of us for this long."

"Actually I did not know about the Oblivion War or Nerthus's connection to it until the last few days when I was informed how my actions had achieved a goal that the Venatori had sought to achieve for sixty years." I said paraphrasing what Thomas had told me in confidence.

"It was closer to eighty actually since she was called through the Gates." The Gatekeeper corrected. "But your explanation now is more in line with what The Merlin believed about you as well. Therefore, unless you are lying to me, which I seriously doubt as I share your ability to read emotions and yours has no sign of deception, I accept this part as truth. However, even so it still does not explain your recruitment to the ranks of the Venatori."

"I am coming to that." I explained. "You see recently our local alliance learned the Fomor wizard who is overseeing the attacks on Chicago is trying to ally himself with another of these powerful beings; one he calls The Merchant. Of course at the time I learned this I had no idea just what this being was or the threat he posed to the city much less the world." I explained slowly to which Rashid only nodded his head ever so slowly. "When I mentioned his involvement to 'my sponsors…'" The Gatekeeper's excitement rose a bit at the pluralizing in my words "…they decided that based upon my own unique history that they had uncovered related to the Nerthus affair they convinced me rather quickly I would be a more valuable as a member than as a corpse."

Harry often said that The Gatekeeper was the most contemplative member of the Senior Council and that it was often impossible to know on which side of an issue he would come down on. As I provided him this information he demonstrated these qualities by saying nothing to the point that it almost became nerve wracking to me.

"I have lived centuries and know that had you possessed the normal powers of a wizard you would undoubtedly be dead now Apprentice Carpenter." The Gatekeeper said in a stead level tone. "Furthermore, were you anyone's apprentice except for Wizard Dresden you would equally not be worth chancing the existence of this world on."

Ummm…hold on…did he just say the existence of the world? Sure these beings were powerful, but still a threat to existence?

"The fact that you are both of these, however, makes me suspect that there is some deeper motive at play, some destiny set in motion that I am not privy to." Rashid explained to himself since he had lost me with the existence of the world part. "My problem is deciding if the destiny is meant to aid or to harm our cause? Let us be honest, your colored history leaves much to debate. You are hardly what one expects as a heroic savior."

Ouch that hurt!

Once more I shut my mouth tight because I knew anything I said would probably be the wrong thing. If he decided to kill me I could use my sarcasm then but if he was still sitting on the fence there was no reason to goose him into a less positive decision.

"But then again my own beginnings are easily as questionable as yours so do I truly have the moral authority to judge you?" He asked rhetorically aloud, though I have to admit I really wanted to answer NO!

So I went instead with a question to keep him talking. I figured it could not hurt my cause to get him sidetracked. "Really, you have a history as screwed up as mine and they let you sit on the Senior Council? No offense but what is the secret of your success if I can ask?" I said with another perky wizard apprentice smile.

He paused considering my request with a shake of his head and then for reasons I cannot even fathom he decided to answer me. "I am assuming that your studies under Wizard Dresden included such literary subjects as The Necronomicon?" He asked with obvious expectations.

"Sure." I replied thankful that I did indeed know this one. "Heck I knew about that book even before I became an apprentice. It is supposedly a true dark magic book for summoning 'The Elder Gods' and 'The Ancient Ones.' Harry explained to me it is a complete falsehood created by H.P. Lovecraft for his stories but perpetuated by the White Council to screw with those seeking dark magic by offering them this false trail."

"Very good." The Gatekeeper's hood bobbed ever so slightly in approval. "How much do you recall of the book's history Mr. Lovecraft invented for it?"

"Uuuummm.." I said trying to pull that conversation with Harry out of my memory. "I seem to recall it was about someone called 'The Crazy Arab…'"

"The Mad Arab is the term you are looking for, though he was also called the Mad Poet in some earlier stories…" The Gatekeeper interrupted to correct me.

"Okay." I said waiting for more but he seemed to be doing the same and in such cases it was the apprentice who was supposed to talk, at least that is what Harry said was expected. "Anyway the Mad Arab Poet supposedly was sleeping out in the desert away from the normal caravan trail in the area when he was awakened in the night by some Ancient One cultists who had attacked a nearby caravan and carried off the merchants but left their goods. He followed the group most of the night until near dawn they came upon a strange black obelisk rising up from the sands where the cultists sacrificed the merchants to summon up these Ancient Ones. Supposedly the Arab Poet interrupted their ceremony and the Ancient Ones took the cultists away leaving him as a sole survivor. Those he told of this called him mad. But from what he had witnessed the Mad Arab Poet went forth instead and spent his life learning all he could about these beings. He recorded all his knowledge, including how to summon these beings, in a book we now call the Necronomicon."

"Since then others have supposedly found bits and pieces of this book and used it for evil purposes." I summed up the story. "According to the myths though, in the end those who seek to harness this power usually end up sacrificed to The Ancient Ones themselves. But like I said it was all a made up story by a fantasy horror writer from a century ago." I admit I sounded just a little too confident where magic and myth were concerned.

"Very good Apprentice Carpenter." The Gatekeeper complimented me. "For a story told to you only once you did manage to retain not only the underlying moral of the story for the uninitiated, 'don't mess with magic,' but also sufficient details surrounding the original location and the cultists involved. In fact I think Mr. Lovecraft would even accept your paraphrasing of his history without too much objection. I know because he was a personal friend back in the day."

"Thank you sir." I said because I did not know what else to say in response. "It is one of those interesting stories I meant to look into more but never seemed to get the time." Smile at him Molly and tell him how wonderful his friend was.

"Apprentices are never allowed time for such wayward subjects." The Gatekeeper chuckled. "History shows they tend to get into all types of trouble if left to their own devices."

I was going to object until I recalled a fire I had inadvertently started in Harry's laboratory that had nearly killed me with poisonous smoke. Accordingly I kept my mouth shut tight so not to place my foot in it.

"The only detail that you got incorrect is that the story is actually true. Well let me say it is actually based on true events." He said still with a serious instructor's voice. "I can say this with complete confidence as I am 'The Mad Arab Poet' the story speaks of."

It took me a moment but I found words to respond. "But Lovecraft said he made it all up." I countered.

"Of course he did at my request." Rashid explained. "Bits and pieces of that story had been floating around for more than a century by that point. I provided a young and hungry author with enough details of truth to create a believable story while at the same time seeding it with enough falsehoods so as to prevent others from following my path and suffering as I did. And as you say, today the White Council uses it to watch for potential threats."

My mouth bobbed open and closed twice before I went silent for him to continue.

"The Mad Poet moniker was bestowed upon me because in my youth, with the gifts magic bestowed upon me that we both share, and a rather impressive singing voice, I used my powers to perform as a wandering bard, minstrel, or skald, depending on your name preference for the occupation, to charm audiences for coins and quite a few ladies for other delights. The 'Mad' aspect was added not because of the tales I told about the Ancient Once but rather because there were more than a few husbands and fathers who were less than pleased with my performance successes with their wives and daughters and this kept me on the move."

I really did not want to laugh, I told myself not to, in fact I ordered my face to remain calm, but the image was just too much for me. I'm sorry but picturing any member of the Senior Council as a hottie was just too much for me to process. Next thing you know Ancient Mai would be revealed to have been Helen of Troy, or currently is Kim Kardashian.

"As far as your rendition goes, I was travelling _with_ the caravan in question through the deserts of what today would be Iraq and Syria, and the only reason I was not captured by the cultists with the rest was because the caravan master did not like the attention his only daughter was paying me as we rode. He advised me that I would be better off sleeping three dunes away if I wanted to stay in his good graces and have access to his water supplies and that there better only be one set of tracks leading away from camp and back to it in the morning or it would be a very long and thirsty trip to Damascus for me." I wonder if my dad could come up with a threat for any of my potential suitors that they would still remember multiple centuries later. It was certainly a goal worthy to shoot for.

"My goal in following the cultists was to try and rescue the girl as I needed her help to steer a wagon." Rashid continued. "There were more than a dozen cultists and while I had been known for being charming, I doubted they wanted to hear me sing anything but screams as they cut out my heart. That was what they were doing to all the others. I know this because I watched it happen. And for each one of the caravan members they killed another being not from our universe stepped through the black obelisk and took a place standing behind one of the swaying cultists waiting for their commands."

"They head of the cultists had of course saved the girl for last; virgin sacrifices being one of the most powerful means to attract and harness that type of power…" He continued.

"…tell me about it…" I said aloud by accident remembering how that was something others had mentioned to me as well when I was the intended sacrifice. The Gatekeeper paused to regard me.

"Oh, sorry. It was nothing. Please continue."

"By the time of the daughter's sacrifice I was nearly out of my mind with all I had observed of these beings; things no one sane should be forced to look upon." Rashid picked up his story. "I watched as they raised the blade over her heart and then as it began its downward stroke."

"Don't!" I screamed. "In truth it was not because I had any particular care for her. It's just my eyes could not observe another murder without driving me mad."

So much for desert romance I guess.

"That scream though was the first true spell I ever cast." Rashid continued reminding me from my own life that those blessed with magic often do not understand the power they have. "And the spell's power, plus the emotion of my command caused the cultist with the knife to miss with his stroke, throwing off the entire spell and releasing the cult's hold over the beings they had summoned. The cultists did not even have time to scream, only the girl in their midst did, who The Ancient Ones did not immediately kill."

"With their peculiar tastes sated, please do not ask me to explain that further, as if one mind the eleven who had been pulled through the obelisk turned out to face me with the smallest of their number, one who looked almost completely human in form, advancing to the edge of the summoning ring but seemingly unable to pass through." Rashid sent a chill through me that I noted was an emotional push of his own, though I suspected it was a subconscious reaction to reliving these events in his mind.

"'Release us!' the small one spoke to me and I recall the sound of his words felt like sharpened dagger points stabbed into my ears." That is a less than pleasant thought. "I turned instead to run away in fear but he spoke once more with almost a begging tone. 'Release us and we shall serve you' they offered me."

"While it may seem foolish now, remember that I come from a land with stories the Djinni and Efreeti serving their masters and granting their wishes. Also, though I could use my charms to keep food in my belly and a roof over my head, I was hardly a prince among men, and I must admit at the time I thought that was grossly unfair."

"Serve me how?"

"We shall each perform one service for you. Slay a rival. Steal a treasure. Uncover a secret. Each of us has a talent which we shall use upon your behalf and upon completion of this service our bond to you is at its end."

"I have seen how you deal with my kind when your bond comes to an end." I said pointing to the bloody spots on the desert sands that was all that remains of the cultists who had summoned them.

"'They sought to shackle and enslave us.' The small one explained. 'Ours is a deal offered and struck as equals' he tried to charm me."

"Not for a moment did I believe they would not turn upon me once their services had been rendered." Rashid continued. "But as I said the desert lands are full of stories on how the quick thinking outwit the more powerful. I knew these tales because I sang and told these stories. They populate most of the _One Thousand and One Arabian Nights_. And now I had the chance to show I was equal to the heroes I told tales of to children."

"'And what gift do you yourself offer?' I asked him."

"I shall provide you any knowledge that you choose."

"And right there I saw was my means of survival." Rashid said but without a sense of pride.

"'I shall agree to your terms to release you for a service from each along with being granted the life of the girl behind you.' I accepted thinking that I did not want her to suffer the fate of her father and the others. 'But know this first, the knowledge I wish from you is to learn great magic and become a powerful sorcerer.' I thought with my own knowledge of magic I could protect myself from The Ancient Ones when the time came at last for us to war. I was right…and I was so very wrong."

"So beings from beyond the Outer Gates taught you magic?" I asked. Wow that was so against the rules today.

"Not directly as their perceptions of the world are not ones that our minds can imitate." The Gatekeeper explained. "Instead in their company we travelled to distant lands to visit those wizards, shamans, witches, and wise men who could teach me. There were ten in fact. Each of these wizards I trained cost me one of my other promised services such as killing off a rival or stealing a magical artifact. Each service set one of The Ancient Ones free upon the world to create havoc, but I did not care as my power continued to grow."

"In the end, as I had expected, the small one turned on me when our contract was fulfilled. But with the knowledge at my disposal I was able to save myself though it cost the girl, who had become my wife by this point in the story, her life."

"It was only then standing over her unmarked grave that I understood the evil I had unleashed on the world." Rashid explained. "I continued my studies of magic while hiding from The Ancient Ones who hunted me, but now I sought out those dark places like the obelisks where the Outsiders had come through and learned all I could of them as well. When I learned enough I turned and gave battle. And over the centuries since those days I have banished each of them back through the Outer Gates…all except the small one."

"So the whole Gatekeeper thing…" I started to speculate.

"Is not merely my assigned portfolio by also my punishment and penance for the pride of youth." Rashid finished. "As I know more of these creatures than any other human being living or dead, so it falls to me to protect our world from their influences, keep them from our world, or send them back to their own. Which brings me back to our current situation I am afraid."

The Gatekeeper turned his gaze upon me from deep within his purple hood as if judging me, and unfortunately still finding me wanting. "I am afraid my dear that there is too much at stake for allowances. Besides needing worshippers to afford them power as you learned with the German pagan goddess, Outsiders also require an anchor to this world, preferably a wizard who they can control to keep themselves in our world. I fear that the one you face has such a mission in store for you."

"I supposed telling you I would say no way to that offer is not enough for you to trust me?" I asked.

"I have faced this temptation myself and been found wanting, and also have centuries of watching others succumb to this as well. Therefore I have learned to respect the ability of these beings to succeed in this pursuit." He explained. "You have shown yourself to be uniquely adept and formidable for one so young, enough so as an apprentice you have the attention and sponsorship of the major powers of the White Court. Such an alliance brought to The Outsiders would be extremely perilous to all of us."

"I understand." I said and really meant it.

"I am sorry." He stood up once more holding his blade as he readied it.

"While I respect your knowledge in this area, in my own defense I would like to say I have a plan that addresses these very issues that worry you." He stopped in his tracks and stared at me, obviously not _wanting_ to kill me, but not yet certain there was any other choice.

"Please explain." He said. And I did. I laid out what I expected to occur over the coming hours and answered each of his questions without having to divulge my Oblivion War sponsor.

"Your success hinges not only upon your own actions but also from eliminating those with too much knowledge. The worshippers are likely to remain a concern." Rashid said; not rejecting my plan outright, just not fully comfortable with potential loose ends.

"I believe I can reasonably account for the players here in Chicago." I defended myself. "The Greece aspects remain a concern but I have called in a marker to take care of those."

"Yes the rakshasa and troll are indeed a formidable pair, but unless you have explained things to them fully…" He stopped in midsentence silently asking me if I had given these others or anyone else information on the Oblivion War. My eyes got wide and I shook my head vigorously in denial. "…then that aspect requires someone in the know to ensure that end is handled 'appropriately.'" Yeah, that was one word for what was required I guess.

"I can't do it." I said. "Too much of this requires my presence to succeed, you all but said so yourself." I countered.

"I did." I could tell we both realized that he was the logical choice to go to Greece after all.

"And think about this." I offered with my sweetest and non-magically enhanced smile. "My plan will either succeed or fail so that is a fifty-fifty gamble." I started. "Even if I fail, there is just as much chance I will be killed than become the threat you fear. That means it is three-to-one odds that either I win or I die, both of which achieve your ultimate goal, compared to only the single chance of facing what you fear. When is the last time you had such good odds at taking down one of The Ancient Ones without putting yourself directly in the line of danger?"

"Apprentice Carpenter please recall that the number system and mathematics you rely upon originated in my part of the world so save the silly number games for others if you please." Okay so the charm did not really work as I hoped. I was also starting to doubt his stories of being such a ladies man if I could not even cause him to consider my suggestions.

"However, your plan is not without merit and shows far more strategic thinking than one expects from an apprentice." The Gatekeeper said. "Having watched Wizard Dresden with some interest over the years I can only assume you have learned such skills from your current association with the White Court." He said with a laugh that even I found funny, because it was sort of true. Strategy was not Harry's trump card in a crisis.

"Because you willingly place yourself in such personal risk, and perhaps because I desire to find positive qualities worth saving in my fellow man, I accept your plan and will agree to take care of the Greece aspects of it myself though my time is short and other demands await me." He said and dropped the ward that protected us from being monitored by others.

"Based on your plan it is unlikely we shall meet again in this life." He said and opened another portal along the wall to the left of the door. "Know this then. You do Harry and the entire White Council credit."

I probably should have jumped for joy that a member of the Senior Council had offered me such praise. Instead I thought over what I had before me and the likelihood I would be dead in a few hours.

That put the compliment into context and made me whisper "Yeah me…"


	16. Chapter 16

**Honor's Debt**

_**Tuesday Evening – Fifteen or So Minutes Later **_

_**Chapter 16**_

I had hoped to get a nice long, hot shower before the manicurist arrived at my room but because of The Gatekeeper's visit that plan had been modified to a less-than-nice quick, hot shower. Once under the water I found this change to be totally unsatisfactory as the shower had more than a dozen massaging jets that were easily adjusted to blast steaming water on each of my various bruised and abused muscle groups. Wizards are not supposed to screw with time either but I will tell you had I the power to freeze it in place for an hour I would have been sorely tempted. Instead I plan to file a formal complaint with my Wizard Union representative. Totally unfair!

I thought a little on what The Gatekeeper had shared with me of his own past and realized that while I might wish to deny it we were not all that different. I too had released beings from nightmares into this world that had gone forth and tortured my friends, killed innocents, and even left my brother's body severely battered. I was hardly a saint. Furthermore, I also realized that had Harry not corrected this and I still lived to apprentice and learn magic under his tutelage, I would probably also have taken it upon myself to seek out these beings and ensure they could not hurt anyone else. So the message I took away from all of this was that since The Gatekeeper had overcome similar challenges in his own life and still rose to a level of trusted preeminence in our order then perhaps there was hope for me yet.

Of course to reach that opportunity means I would have to live through the next few hours, which was still highly questionable, regardless of the odds I had tried to sell him with.

It took an act of total willpower but after ten minutes, yes that is a 'quick' shower, I turned off the water, dried myself with the biggest and softest towel in all of existence I think, and then wrapped myself up in an equally comfortable robe made of the same material before heading out into the main room of my suite. I know this probably sounds a little paranoid but with the unexpected arrival of The Gatekeeper in my room I had decided to increase my sense of security by not only locking the door, deadbolt, and the security chain, but I also even jammed a chair under the doorknob as an additional deterrent. Technically that action was a fire hazard and would in reality provide no measurable additional protection against things like rampaging zombies but I can assure you that seeing it there as I came out of the bath and headed for the bedroom to change made me feel better all the same. A girl likes to feel secure when she undoes the tie on her robe and slips it from her shoulders.

"I would prefer you leave your garment in place Apprentice Wizard Carpenter." A voice that sounded like a snake's hiss dragged over gravel spoke from right behind me again.

"Eeeepppp!" Damn those ventriloquist mice were back and making a mockery of me again!

I spun around after first pulling the robe back into place and ensuring it was tightly closed around me only to find a stranger this time apparently patiently sitting in one of the large padded high-backed chairs. He was making no move of aggression and his emotions had him cloaked in a sense of calm comfort that bespoke his ability to cause significant mayhem if that became required. I decided at that moment and based upon recent events that this hotel really needed much better security for its five star rating.

"Unlike my cousins of light I have never found the human form particularly attractive or desirable to mate with so I would prefer for both our sakes that you stay dressed so we may restrict our dealings to the business for which you summoned me." He said with that cold tone of superiority that magical beings of the Fau tend to cultivate.

My mind took a moment to take in the details both of his words and his image to figure out what was happening here. He had the wiry thinness that I had come to associate with elven races, especially those of the Summer variety. But where Summer Court elves seemed almost delicate like they were made of pure porcelain, attractive but fragile, the being before me looked instead like tightly corded steel cable; durable and functional without any effort wasted on making the material itself beautiful.

"So you would be Mr. Etri?" I asked not knowing if he would come himself in response to my request through Daniel or send one of his flunkies to show that the Svartalfar considered me beneath them. I held out my hand in an offer to shake his for this introduction.

"I have been called by that name at times." He acknowledged with a slight, very slight, nod and a disapproving look at my outthrust hand. "I also prefer to avoid the touch of lesser beings."

I dropped my hand and decided to shrug off the insult. He was not the first Fae to be endowed with an overabundance of self importance and superiority. "So it is not your real name?" I asked more out of curiosity than anything else.

"Are you in the habit of giving your true name to total strangers or potential enemies Apprentice Wizard Carpenter?" He asked me with an obvious disapproving judgment that either I was foolish or assumed that he was. Not bright there Molly.

Of course I did not give my true name. A wizard that released their true name, which was more than just their name but also included the proper inflection, provided those with the ability to repeat it a means to control or have power over them. With my free spirit that was not a thought I relished. "No I do not." I confirmed for him.

"Neither do I." He said. "Now with it established that I am not a fool perhaps we can get down to your business in requesting this audience so I can get back to my own?" The way he hissed as he spoke made some of the words nearly incomprehensible, but his tone of annoyance came through absolutely loud and clear.

"Fine." I said grabbing the papers Daniel and I recovered from the sword hilt. "I am assuming you know of the ongoing war the city faces against the Fomor invasion?" I asked figuring he could not have missed it. Sure it was not in the papers but for magical beings it was like it was on all the magical television channels.

He raised a hand and cut me off. "I assumed as much. Let me save us both the precious time that neither of us seems to have in abundance at present." He started. "The Svartalves have no interest in involving ourselves in the power games you and others are currently engaged in. We are declared neutral party through The Accords and expect all warring factions to honor this declaration. If you wish to discuss the purchase of finished goods or raw materials we may accept such business providing the clients understand we have no qualms with doing similar business with the other side as well. Except for such commercial arrangements we ask only to be left alone."

"I must admit I am disappointed by this selection as your wizardly abode." He said not at all impressed with the regal look of my suite. "As the city's premier wizard, even if you achieved this title by default, I expected you to select a location worthy of that title and position. You should look to your former master's example when preparing a residence."

"This is temporary." I said defensively.

"Ahhh… still living on the run and on the streets then?" He obviously knew of my past year and shook his head in disappointment. "You have so much yet to learn."

"Harry never told me he had dealings with you." I said to turn the subject away from myself and surprised by the dark elf's knowledge of not just my activities but obviously Harry's as well.

"He did not." Mr. Etri replied. "I was speaking in part on his rather illustrious actions as a wizard that all have heard of…" He paused and smiled. "…and even more so at his lesser known skills as a metal worker in creating his summoning ring. Such workmanship for a human showed he had true potential were he to choose to study."

"How do you know about that ring if you never dealt with him?" I asked shocked. Harry's summoning ring hand been crafted in the secret subbasement laboratory of his apartment from seven different metals if I recalled correctly. Besides myself there might have been three other people aware that he even had made it.

"Because I studied it of course." He said with a smile that was well…evil and chilling. "Like I said it was acceptable work from a novice, and a human of course, but better than many other similar ones others your kind have made. The base metal ore quality was sufficient for the task though slightly inferior to what I would have used. The engravings once the metals had cooled were precise and almost flawless though I did note he tended to not sharpen his chisels often enough for such work. It was sloppy for a master, but quite acceptable for a novice and human."

Harry's lab and home were protected by wards that had held back zombies, demons, and other powerful wizards. Yet the black elf here was calmly informing me that he had bypassed these? "There is no way you managed to overcome his wards." I said fairly certain of their strength and capability.

"Like most humans he merely created barriers on the doors he understood, those physical and from the Faerie realm." Mr. Etri explained. "He did not know of the doors open to my race."

He stood up from the chair and now I can say that while he was not quite as tall as The Gatekeeper's nearly seven feet in height, he was pretty close. Add to that his slightly thinner build and this combination made him look even taller in a scarecrow kind of way. "Our business is concluded. I shall leave you to your own devices and expect the same courtesy from you in return." He turned and stepped past me toward the door.

Do something Molly! I thought to myself in a near panic. While I did not absolutely need the Svartalves to execute my plan, their aid would make things much easier and certainly less risky for the rest of us. I reached out and placed my hand gently on Mr. Etri's wrist as he stepped past me finding his skin both feverishly hot to the touch and parchment-like in texture. "Wait, please…" I started.

I have seen magical beings move fast before but nothing prepared me for the explosion of movement from the dark elf's body. Within a millisecond of my fingertips touching his wrist it seemed the elf locked his left hand across my throat, completely pinching off my windpipe, lifted my body one handed from the ground and carried me four steps before slamming my head against the wall and breaking a glass picture frame in the process. The papers I had held to show him a moment ago fluttered to the floor like giant snowflakes behind him in our wake.

I had only an instant to note their fall as his right hand produced a rust flaked wavy dagger that seemed to absorb any light that drew near to it. As I shook off the initial effect of the blow to my head and began to realize my inability to breathe, the point of that dagger came to a stop less than an eye lash's distance from my left eyeball.

"I told you quite clearly a moment ago that I do not like to be touched by lesser beings." He hissed at me from less than a foot away allowing me to observe that the elf's teeth were all filed to razor fine points or they grew in that way naturally. I can't say that second hand smells of Svartalfar meals is something I recommend either.

I tried to quickly apologize but unfortunately I was reminded that vocal chords required air to work properly and without a functioning larynx at the moment this simple ability was beyond me. His raw emotions spoke so loudly of murder and darkness that made me try to stop reading them for just the level of vileness that they projected to me. It was as bad as the Black Court vampires I had encountered only far more diabolically controlled in its desire for evil.

The edges around my eyes began to darken as tunnel vision, one of the first warning that my body needed more oxygen soon, set in. My legs squirmed to do anything to break the dark elf's hold but my upper body and head were locked into place by his steel like grip as if shackled. I could not even call to mind any of the defensive moves Karrin had taught me.

"The magic of your White Council does not impress me nor do I find any of you worthy of the title of 'threat.'" He said as his image began to blur before my eyes. "I can walk through the shadows as your kind walk through doors, and could plant this knife in your heart before you knew I was standing behind you." I could barely make of the tip of the black blade any more as my struggles became more feeble with each passing second.

I felt myself go weightless as his final words seemed to barely register in my oxygen starved brain. "You will leave my people out of your foolish wars for we want no part in them."

There was darkness…

…and then there was blessed air once more. My lungs sucked it in as my heart raced to feed it to my dying cells throughout my body. My eyes, still open, saw only light and shadowy flickers but my mind heard Mr. Etri's booted steps crossing the carpet away from me once more as they stepped on the pages of paper now scattered on the floor.

"Wait…" I tried to speak and then exploded in a coughing fit as my body demanded more air.

"It seems you are even too stupid to even understand an act of mercy." Mr. Etri said with a retreating voice.

"…save your people…" I got these few words out between my hacking fits.

"My people?" He paused as my vision began to clear enough to make out the edges of his body at least as they stood half a dozen or so paces away still regarding me.

I nodded. "…papers…" interrupted by another coughing fit that seemed to hurt even more. I figure he had bruised the muscles in my throat with the grip he used regularly to beat molten metal and taking time to rest it was the best thing I could do but still I had to try and explain before his patience ran out. "…destroy you…" I pointed to the parchments lying scattered at his feet and glad to see his eyes followed to where I was pointing.

Norse mythology cites the stubborn, single-mindedness of dark elves once they set themselves to a task. One story claimed that Loki was only able to temporarily distract such an elf from making Thor's hammer by transforming himself into a horsefly and biting the elf on the sensitive end of his nose. I will note another translation of that same story had the elf blacksmith wearing a kilt and the bite occurring on an even more sensitive part of the body necessary to achieve that result.

The fact that Mr. Etri stopped long enough to look down at the pages I took as an act worthy of the title of divine intervention to support my cause. While I gasped and tried to pull myself together, he reached down and collected the pages, flipping from one to another as he quickly scanned what each said, though almost certainly in the wrong order but that did not seem to detract from his understanding in the slightest.

Thankfully it still took him long enough for coughing to stop and for my breathing to equal out. Then with the support of my hand on the wall; the wall I now noticed had been dented by my body – God housekeeping was going to hate me, I was able to find my feet and stand up once more by ordering them to obey me. As I lifted my head once I established my balance and pretty sure I was not going to immediately throw up as well I found the dark elf had finished his scanning and was now watching me closely.

"Why?" He asked this single word laced with obvious confusion.

"It's because the Fomor are evil." I answered confused and assuming the pages out of order were not as clear as I had hoped. "It says it all in there." I pointed to the pages. "The Fomor consider you their ancestral threat so they want to see you destroyed."

The Svartalf shook his head in exasperation of my answer. "I know the history of my own race as well as the Fomorians Wizard-Child." He said tensely though more respectfully in tone as if holding back his anger and annoyance for the moment. "I mean why do you continue to warn me of this threat when I have shown you my kind cares not what happens to yours?" He asked with more clarity.

"That is the point." I said. "I am not like your kind or like the Fomor." I explained

"So what?" He asked. "You think you can get us to join your cause because of this?" He raised the pages to emphasize his point. "Only humans are young enough and foolish enough to believe the enemy of my enemy is my friend. The rest of us have lived long enough to know the enemy of my enemy is my enemy as well, if not now then in the future."

I wanted to scream that this did not have to be so, but Lea's teachings were showing me that the Svartalfar viewpoint was closer to the truth for the elder races and dealing with them than any of our misguided human concepts. The black elves looked upon humans and indeed all other races only as competitors or potential customers. I was certainly not going to change an unknown number of millennia of history that formed his beliefs with a few jotted notes on scraps of paper.

"It is not about you fighting with us." I said at last now that I understood and accepted my visitor's point of view better. But it still did not mean I was ready to compromise on my own.

"That is good as my kind has not fought the Fomorians or anyone else beyond simple skirmishes since before your kind learned to forge bronze. We are not warriors by nature and our numbers are small so we would surely die." I'm sure if I tried to put a date to that statement I could, but at that moment it sufficed to say that he meant a really really long time ago.

"It is not about your people fighting and dying." I explained. "It is about allowing you the chance to survive."

Mr. Etri looked at me with obvious confusion. Either I had spoken a deeper truth than he thought me possible of or I was so off base as to be insane in his eyes. Heck I was used to being seen that way. Ah well in for a penny in for pretty much everything I had.

"Your people deserve a chance to avoid this fate." I said building upon my last statement.

"Why?" He asked again. "Do you seek our craftsmanship so badly? I think not. I do not have endless orders for our goods from you." He seemed to think that defeated my logic. "So why would you take the chance and allow my kind to live when we could possibly do the same to you tomorrow as the Fomor are attempting today?" It was obvious that he really did not understand human motivations. Maybe we were young and naïve. Or maybe we just learned the truly important lessons of life quicker because our lives were so short in comparison.

"To my knowledge your kind have not attacked this city." I explained.

"But we could."

"Yes you could." I agreed with a pause. "But you have not."

He looked at me still obviously confused but I decided to follow up before he could this time. "Until such time as you declare yourself our enemy I refuse to think of you as one." I said. "The Svartalfar have lived beneath our streets for years asking only it seems to be left alone to your own forges and creations. As I see it you are as much residents of this city as are any other human citizens, including my own family. And since I have taken up the mantle of the wizard assigned to protect this city, or as you so aptly pointed out taken this up by default, my responsibility includes protecting all in this city…and that includes you and your race as well."

He laughed in mockery. "And what if we do not wish to consider ourselves citizens of your city?" He asked.

"It does not matter." I explained. "I consider you as such. It is my choice on who I feel deserves protection and I deem your people worthy of my protection."

He stopped with the mockery but just barely. "You would do well to read the mythologies your kind have written about my own. If you had you would most likely come to a different conclusion about our suitability I think."

I smiled back in response. "Maybe. However the mythologies humans have written about wizards leaves quite a bit to be desired as well." I pointed out. "I tend to take such stories with a grain of salt and rather allow individuals the chance to define themselves." Ha! Gotcha with that one mister dark elf! "Furthermore who is to say that we cannot here today turn a blank page and write a new story about the interactions between your kind and my own? Perhaps we could overcome the errors in those old stories with new ones." Game. Set. Match!

My words hit so close to home that he literally stopped to reset himself. My suggestion caused him to think long and hard over my words before he finally found a weak means at pushing back at me. "What fool taught you to think like that?" He asked.

"My dad." I explained with a renewed sense of pride. In fairness my mom and Harry both went a long way in this too as did Father Forthill, Karrin, and a host of others. But that was too much to go into at the moment. I stuck with my first example as it was probably the best.

"He was a Knight of the Cross." I explained. "He would call such thoughts and actions Honor." Now I know I have nowhere near Harry's power with combat magic but I had a feeling after that statement had I produced even a mere wisp of wind I would have bowled the elf over. Sometimes it is cool to be so underestimated.

Mr. Etri thought long and hard before he spoke his next words and while my instincts were to fill in the silence I held myself back and waited patiently for him. "We will not fight for you and your kind human." He said at last reinforcing his earlier comments though I sensed this had a tinge of regret that their numbers were so small and their skills not in the area of combat. He placed the sheets of paper on the edge of the couch.

"Then I shall not try to persuade you to do so." I agreed with an acceptance nod of my head.

"Still you have our respect. I will think on all you have said." He finished. "I wish you success this evening. Perhaps it is time for our two peoples to write some new stories."

"Thank you." Was all I could respond with. I wanted him to change his mind but understood he would not or could not.

Without another word he turned and strode toward the darkest corner of the room and seemingly stepped right through the shadows that lay there. My magic sensitivity did not register anything remotely like him pulling in magic or casting a spell to open a portal or create a veil. He just was gone from one step to the next. If his race could truly walk through shadows they would be dangerous to cross; and this night for their sake, hopefully equally hard to find and kill.

I turned my attention away from the corner he disappeared through and back toward the bedroom when my eyes were drawn to the window. The curtains were open providing a lovely sight of the city of Chicago. At this time the sun was still up though not more than an hour or so above the horizon, however that view was only visible on the opposite side of the hotel.

From my vantage point, that would be twenty three floors above the street level, the windows were currently cast in the shadow created by the rest of the floors above my room making it a dusk-like view. Still even with this murky light I was certain for a brief instant I had caught a glimpse of eyes outside the window; eyes with very cat-like pupils.


	17. Chapter 17

**Honor's Debt**

_**Tuesday Evening – Ten or So Minutes Later Still **_

_**Chapter 17**_

I spent the next five minutes looking in every nook and cranny in the suite before I was willing to again consider getting undressed and into the kimono. This included looking under the bed, in closets, behind the couch and even in the chandelier.

Mr. Etri was right about one thing at least. While the suite may be as lavish as money could reasonably buy, it was impractical to serve as the sanctuary for the city's resident wizard. Furthermore I was starting to become pretty sure this room was situated on some sort of magical highway based upon all the traffic. That said I was more convinced than ever that I really needed a safe place to call my own and hopefully get my head together. But I decided to deal with one crisis at a time.

I turned to head for my room and had just put my hands on the knot of my robe once more when alarm chimes went off. I drew in magic and spun around to seek the source of the noise; happy to report that this time at least the ventriloquist mice had the good sense to keep quiet. It was standing there fully magically armed for combat that I realized it had been the room's doorbell and not some unwanted visitor making his or her presence known.

I looked out the peep hole and saw the hotel manicurist with her wheeled cart standing just outside my door. Furthermore I was also relieved to note that she did not sprout horns, cloven hooves, a devil's tail, and from what I could sense did not have an overriding emotional desire at present for my liver sautéed in a white wine and garlic sauce. In fact, if I was reading her emotions correctly she was incredibly bored and looking forward to her shift ending soon. I cannot tell you how much of a relief I took that to be.

My manicure and pedicure were done in about thirty minutes or so as the girl knew her job and as I suspected wanted to get it over with so she could go home. Most of the time passed in silence as she was thinking on things like homework she had to do, or friends she planned on meeting. I on the other hand was never all that great with meaningless small talk, well at least not so much with other women, even when I was in school. Becoming an apprentice wizard had not helped improve this much as I really had a hard time responding honestly to questions like 'so what do you do for a living' or 'what have you been up to lately?'

"Let's see I battled a group of evil sea-based monsters outside a morgue intent on taking over the city, was nearly cut in half by a Gatling gun while lying beneath the city's most notorious crime boss who then tried to make out with me, and finally had an aerial battle with a group of demon controlled stone gargoyles while I played opera star, how about you?"

The manicurist stopped what she was doing and stared up at me in total confusion making me realized I had just said all of that out loud rather than in my head. Great now I am talking to myself too. Thank goodness I had not thought about casting a spell in that rant. I guess I really am more screwed up than I care to admit. I better start working on that tomorrow; that is if I live through tonight.

It did not help my current situation however. "Uuummm… I am a fiction writer." I said looking at the girl holding the file over my nails. "I was working out some plot threads in my head." Hey it was the best I could come up with basing it all off the statement that Barter had told me about my adventures being recorded in some grand archive somewhere.

"No offense but with scenes as cheesy as that you might consider another profession." She said and turned back to her work.

Yeah everybody's a critic.

After thirty minutes or so the girl had finished up and wheeled her cart away allowing me to try one last time to change out of the robe and into the silk kimono. Thankfully this time nothing interrupted me from this course of action though once dressed I realized I had no idea what to do with my hair, nor any time to try and find someone from guest services who could either. I finally was left with no choice but to brush it out and let it hang over one shoulder. Thankfully that was not too complicated and I got this done just as the phone rang from the front desk to inform me the limousine I had ordered was now downstairs in the parking area awaiting my departure.

After taking nearly a minute to figure out how to climb into the car, and positioning myself inside to climb out again without falling on my face or any other part of my anatomy, I told my driver my destination and we were off. I was nervous at the thought of attending even a small, elegant event like this but I force myself to stay calm. I did not turn even on the television in the back for fear of shorting out the entire car and making me late. Instead I fidgeted a bit with my dress and some forced modifications.

The kimono was not uncomfortable by any stretch of the imagination, though it certainly was a little more billowing than I was used to being a jeans and halter top type of girl. My biggest problem is that it did not have any pockets which I found annoying. Therefore I had to resort to other measures to ensure my safety this evening and have what I needed on hand.

For example I realized I had to jury rig two holsters for my wands from whatever material I was able to scrounge in my room and the only place I could secure them without being visible and still allowing quick access was to basically tape them up to my forearms. I had wanted a means to have them slide and drop into my hand if I needed them in a real hurry, which lately seemed to be the case, but whatever I quickly devised had them tending to fall out and on the ground when I walked. Instead because of time I had to settle for duct tapping them with the foreknowledge that I would have to rip them off my arms if and when their use became necessary. Thankfully the wide and long sleeves of the kimono kept them hidden from casual observation and their being made from bone would not set off a metal detector.

Assuming I faced such a device at the consulate and not wishing to cause an international incident I forgo any considerations of taking guns, knives, or other metal weapons and objects into the building with me. I also did not have the capability to conceal any of my other non-metal specialty gear either. The thought of strapping fireworks and matches in any of my undergarments was a non-starter. The best I was able to do was to fold up the recovered spy's notes and conceal these papers securely in the sash of my dress.

Okay, so if things went south at the party, which I was almost one hundred percent certain they would, I would have to rely solely on my magic and my wits to keep me alive. For the record, no I did not find that any more comforting than you probably do.

The Japanese Consulate was your stereotypical government building in the south central part of the city. It was made of dark stone and concrete with high intimidating security walls, both fixed and rotating video cameras, and solid steel bars on the visible windows all to deter any but the most determined of evil doers.

Besides the plaque on the wall next to the driveway declaring the building's purpose and the Japanese flag flying from the flagpole on the roof, the only distinction the building seemed to have from its neighbors were the twin stone Tibetan Mastiff statues that guarded the entrance to the building. As I passed the pair of Foo Dogs, I did rap my knuckles on each to ensure they were stone rather than spell charged magical guardians. Based on my recent experience with the gargoyles that hardly meant they were immobile if some had the power to animate them. Still, I did take comfort from their resemblance to Mouse.

As I had expected there was serious security in the building with metal detectors being the least of that. The numerous guards, there were many, all wore high end grey tailored suits over white turtlenecks and mirrored sunglasses. I found that an attractive but odd combination until I noted just the edge of a tattoo peeking out from under the high collar of one I passed closely by. From the air of menace he projected I had no doubts that those tattoos covered all of the skin concealed under his clothing making them Yakuza trained and supplied for tonight's event at least. That seemed like a bit of an overkill for a small formal get together if you asked me but perhaps it was some sort of Japanese cultural thing to demonstrate the safety of one's guests.

My limo drove off and another was just pulling up as I went inside the building as directed finding a receptionist sitting just inside the doorway. I handed the young woman in a formal pink kimono sitting at the desk my invitation made from rice paper. It had come in the box with the dress and it had taken a lot of effort on the drive over not to wrinkle it too badly or sweat on it as I fidgeted in the back seat. She took this card from my hand and nodded respectfully at me without saying a word.

The pair of guards on each side of her never turned their eyes to look at me directly but from their emotions I could tell as they tensed slightly when they were evaluating me as a potential threat, and then from the way they relaxed had decided I was not one. Personally I like to think I am dangerous so this was a bit insulting though they were trained killers also. Therefore I wondered in this case which of the two of us was overconfident in our abilities.

The girl at the desk handed my invitation over to an even younger woman in a pale yellow kimono who looked to be performing the duties of a page or runner. I was asked to follow her and she directed me to a short line of other guest to await my turn while my invitation was taken to whoever awaited at the head of the line. I guess this was some sort of additional screening means. I just hoped they did not rely on computers or I'd probably short the whole system out with how nervous I was becoming at this little get together. The thought of sharing an evening with a dozen or so people I hardly knew was filling my stomach with butterflies. I just hoped my dress was straight and not too wrinkled from the drive.

"GONG!" The sound resonated down the hallway towards me and reverberated in the large dining room that lay ahead. What the hell was that thing for?

"Mayor of Chicago Jonathan O'Malley." A voice boomed from the room ahead making a formal announcement. Of course I had never met the mayor personally but my glimpse of the man who walked forward into the room looked just like the guy whose face was always in the paper or on television. I suddenly realized I was serious out of my league here.

Almost like trained soldiers the rest of us all shuffled forward like lemmings for our turn to step off the cliff. I seriously considered ducking back out of the line while everyone's attention was focused ahead but at the moment I was just about to make a break for it someone stepped into line behind me with their own page girl carrying their invitation forward as well. I turned to find Cardinal O'Malley, Father Forthill's and every other Catholic priest in Chicago's ultimate superior in the city, standing directly behind me in his formal red robes of office. As fate would have it he was also the mayor's older brother which raised some eyebrows and gossip in certain circles.

"Good evening young lady." The cardinal spoke to me with a genuinely warm smile. "Can I take it from your expression that you recognize me, or is it merely my formal attire that has you at odds?"

I snapped my mouth closed realizing I had been gaping. "I know you Mon Senior…" I began to kneel to prepare to kiss his ring but he placed his hand on my arm and kept me standing.

"While I am here in my official capacity and am pleased to know there are fellow friendly Catholics about, let us, for just this night, not stand on formality if that is alright with you child?" He asked with a smile. "I promise not to tell anyone if you don't." He said with a conspiratorial wink.

I could not help myself but smile in response. "You're on Father." I agreed.

"Excellent." He responded. "What is your name child?"

"GONG!" Wow it was even louder as we stepped closer.

"Lydia P. Roundtree and Wallace Roundtree." The voice called out. Ms. Roundtree was one of Chicago's most beloved daughters, ruthless in the electronics business yet had established more than a dozen healthcare clinics to care for the poor of the city.

"Molly…I mean Margaret Carpenter Father." I answered his question once the environment of gong reverberations had quieted enough for me to do so.

"Ah." His eyes widened just a flicker in recognition. "Are you perhaps any relation to a Michael Carpenter?" He asked. I guess it would not be surprising to learn Chicago's Cardinal knew of its resident Knight of the Cross as they were in the same line of business.

"I'm his daughter sir." I responded but looked to the floor out of respect at the high praise his emotions had toward my father.

"Now that I look closely I should have recognized you look very much like your mother my dear." His hand reached out and cupped my chin lifting my eyes toward him. "He is a great man." He said. "I suspect you are every bit as great as him."

"I try sir." I said. "But I have a long way to go."

"It is funny, I say that about myself a lot too." He chuckled as we all shuffled forward again. "Someone famous said something about wisdom is knowing how much more you have yet to learn. Terrible part of my job is all these quotes from old books we are expected to memorize." He said with a mocking scandalous air. "That is why we old priests tend to speak in Latin so no one can correct us if we get them wrong." He said with another wink that boosted my spirits and reduced my nervousness for a moment. That was until I glanced forward and realized there was only one other couple between me and the ballroom now.

"GONG!" Yep, it was definitely louder still and not at all a help for reducing my nervousness.

"Mister and Misses Hoshi Sokamura." The announcer proclaimed and the pair in front of me stepped into the ballroom before us with their heads held high. I had no idea who the pair were though as I was in the Japanese consulate I had little doubt the others did. I could also sense the woman's nervousness was very similar to my own, probably hoping she did not fall down or faint right in front of the crowd as she walked down the few steps I had not noticed were there until just now.

"You are next Molly." Cardinal O'Malley said to boost my spirits as he patted me on the back. I did not have the heart to tell him he had failed epically at this task.

"Oh yeah!" I said and he smiled in sympathy.

A bare chested oriental man easily weighing it at over three hundred pounds and dressed as a traditional Sumo wrestler stood beside the six foot bronze gong engraved with two intertwining dragons over the more traditional symbols of Ying and Yang. The mallet he held in his hand was a six foot shaft of dark wood topped by another round ball of bronze that was the size of a bowling ball but probably weighed five times as much. Thankfully it was also wrapped in a layer of dark fur to somewhat muffle each blow.

I could not help but wonder what they did with it when not having parties. I mean it is probably not something that fit easily in a closet because you know it would always be in the way when trying to get a new case of paper for the copier machine or something. On the other hand I assumed it never got lost and had staff members trying to remember where they had stored the six foot gong after the last party.

As I stepped up to the edge of the ballroom the sumo wrestler lifted the mallet as if it weighed nothing and brought it swinging around in a perfectly executed horizontal blow that Karrin as a trained sword master would have approved of. I braced my eardrums for what was coming my way and knew it would not be enough.

"GONG!" Holy crap I could feel that one in my teeth. No wonder the woman in front of me was worried about falling because the noise made my knees go weak. I was glad I was not wearing high heels at the moment or I surely would have never made it down the three steps in front of me and into the ballroom.

"Miss Margaret Carpenter." The more normal sized announcer stood on the other side of the sumo gong beater and I had failed to see him there as he was eclipsed by the much larger man. I turned to look into the elegantly decorated room and noted that all conversation had stopped as those already in attendance turned to look at me; most wore faces of confusion since I was not on Chicago's A-list of celebrities.

Note to self…Should the city's premier wizard be registered in the city's who's who list? That was yet another question that Harry had never addressed during my apprenticeship.

Instead of the small dozen or so dinner party guests I had expected there were at least fifty pairs of eyes turned in my direction thought I only glanced to notice their number and focused my full attention instead on not falling down the stairs. In addition to these guests there was also about a dozen members of the consulate's waiting staff moving among the crowd offering glasses of refreshment and platters with various appetizers. Finally, there was also a like number of sunglass wearing security guards along the walls trying to remain inconspicuous and doing a relatively good job of it. They were not up to veil standards, but you had to be looking to notice them; that is unless like me you could sense emotions which their intensity of dedication made them stand out like torches.

First step, second step, third step, and floor! Woohoo! I made it without causing myself bodily harm which in the context of my last few days actually is a rather noteworthy achievement in and of itself. Of course now that I was on the floor and everyone was looking my way I had to decide where to go and only had seconds to do so.

The eyes aiming my direction were equally considering my answer to this question because my direction would probably help identify who I was or where I belonged in the social circles. If I was political I'd head for the mayor and others on the left of the room and if business related I'd head for someone like Ms. Roundtree and those on the right. There were no obvious signs where wizards, or for that matter elves, dragons, and goblins, were expected to stake themselves out. At that moment I'd have happily embraced a goblin or two compared to all the eyes staring my way.

What I really wanted to do was head for the ladies room and throw up. I wonder if everyone would associate me with the plumber's union or something for that activity?

I also found it annoying that nothing Harry or Lea had taught me under my apprenticeship prepared me for this. Sure I could face down trolls and deflect bullets with my magical shields better than Wonder Woman but what the heck do I say to the city's elite?

"AH… ALLO, MO-LEE." A familiar voice of my savior called out from the crowd in probably the worst French accent since Marcel Marceau. I turned to find the voice as did more than half the crowd and watched Thomas maneuver his way through those assembled to hurry toward me. I was also relieved to see he had gotten my faerie delivered message and found a means to attend. Of course this meant dusting off his flamingly gay hairdresser persona of Tomas from Paris who happened to have a rather scandalous relationship with a certain occult expert named Harry Dresden.

That thought brought a smile to my lips as I recalled Harry laughing about it. I guess in retrospect maybe I was not the most screwed up person I knew. Or maybe all my friends and family were just residents of Arkham Asylum.

"TOMAS!" I said after only a second of delay picking up on the act and playing it to the hilt. People cleared a path and he came my way, clasped my hands in his, and then he leaned in and offered fake air kisses six inches away from each of my cheeks to demonstrate his acceptance of culture, but not his preference for women. "I did not know you had returned to the city." I said for the benefit of those straining to hear."

"Ah yes just recently. Forgive me my sweet for not ringing you earlier but I have been not myself as of late." He replied for our audience. "Paris may be where I was born, but Chicago, she holds my heart so I could not stay long away."

From my peripheral vision I could see people begin to make connections within their own minds. Thomas, or rather Tomas, was a local celebrity hair dresser who catered to the city's most beautiful, richest, or preferably both. Think of it like having Ralph Loren attend your party.

The fact that Tomas knew me meant that I was some sort of local flash in the pan, trendy celebrity such as a singer or artist. Those in power would send their agents out to learn who Margaret Carpenter was in this scene and find little to nothing except that the name, being as common as it was, also belonged to dozens of seeming nobodies in the city. Unlike Harry I did not advertise in the Yellow Pages.

"GONG!" Man it was just as painful on this side. I needed to get away from that thing or I'd develop a splitting migraine.

"Cardinal O'Malley." The announcer proclaimed and everyone's attention turned at last away from Thomas and I and back to the entrance way to observe the next attendee. Believe me I did not regret losing all that attention even for an instant.

"Come Mo-lee you must tell me what has happened while I was away." Thomas said taking my hand in his and patting it as he led me away from the crowd and over to the far edges of the room where we would have some privacy to talk without too much concern. The people seemed to orbit around those they deemed the most powerful in the room and neither Thomas nor I fit that bill so we were ignored as irrelevant. I let him place my back to the party as he glanced over my shoulder looking for potential danger and with the barest shake of his head communicated to me that there was none at present.

"That is a nice dress." He said slightly skeptical at my look but what should I expect from a White Court hairdresser? "I don't think I recall ever seeing you in one so elegant except for the white leather one we provided yesterday." As a member of the White Court Thomas knew fashion and instantly understood this was not an outfit I could have just throw together or bought off the rack somewhere. Style was part of how a White Court vampire hunted so in his eyes that meant the dress had some underlying purpose. His raised eyebrow asked for an explanation.

"It was a gift from our hostess." I explained which only made him question it even more. "She said she knew Harry or at least knew of him. She asked me to attend this formal dinner here at the consulate so that we could chat more about him after it was over and sent the dress around as her gift to me. But had I known it was this type of event I would probably have found a reason to be hospitalized or jailed instead."

"Actually I think it looks rather nice on you though you should have let me do something with your hair." Thomas said in an approving yet teasing tone. "I'm sure if he were here Harry would agree you are stunning." I know he had meant that as a compliment but the words felt like he was twisting an icicle in my heart. Thankfully I had learned how to hide that particular pain quite well over the last year.

"Thanks." I said as I tried to lock it away.

Luckily at this point a pair of waiters came past us, one with flutes of Champaign and other with California rolls. I took one of the former and two of the latter while Thomas settled only for a drink. The time I took eating allowed me to put the issue back into its box in my heart and lock it up away from the world once more.

"I am glad you got my message." I began after swallowing the last bite of sushi and taking a sip from my glass to wash it down. "I take it you heard what happen at Karrin's house today?"

"I did." Thomas nodded. "Lara is already working to establish an untraceable path from us to post their bail but it will likely not happen until tomorrow or the next day at the earliest."

"That is a good backup plan but I am hoping I can get a judge to release them tonight." I responded.

"How are you going to manage that?" He asked.

"By talking to…"

"GONG!" Well at least off on the side of the room the sound did not almost cause your eardrums to bleed. For the sake of my ears I'd have to remember to stay to the sides if I could manage it.

"Mister Jonathan Marcone and his associate Miss Gard." The announcer called out. Hey it is cool when the universe aligns to answer questions on your behalf.

I cannot say that Thomas was pleased by the pair's arrival, and he was even less pleased by my obvious plans for them, but he could not argue the logical of using his influence to get our friends freed. I turned to look and noted the pair was of likewise dressed to kill; of course with them I probably should have been using that term literally.

Like me the two were forced to pause after the last step as Marcone tried to decide which direction to head, toward the political wing or the business side of the room. He had interests in both realms so who knew which way that coin toss would land. The difference between John and I is that for him the decision was taken out of his hands as the majority of both crowds with perhaps the exception of only Cardinal O'Malley began to move in his direction to _pay_ the gangster their respect. The orbits had changed to reflect the true power in the city.

Disappointingly for me the herd seemed led by the mayor who had campaigned on 'cleaning up crime' yet was the first to shake Marcone's hand and probably hoped to be passed a contribution check to his reelection campaign fund at the same time. Serving as both his bodyguard and escort for the evening Ms. Gard hung close to her boss and offered a cold, calculating assessment of the potential threat each new arrival posed to him. None seemed to worry her too much. Of course I had little doubt the valkyrie could probably kill almost every one of these guests with her bare hands, or better still with those stiletto heels she wore, if called upon to do so.

I needed to talk to Marcone soon but it was obvious that he would be busy for a while which was also good as I needed the time to bring Thomas up to speed. It was also preferable to keep these two alpha males of their factions separated so clashing personalities did not override the best chance for our alliance's success.

"I know what the Fomor are planning for tonight." I said as means of an introduction to the subject and to get Thomas's full attention once more to the issue at hand. "Please tell me that Lara still has a White Court strike team or two in city."

"There are two currently in residence in fact." He confirmed with a nod. "But you better tell me what is happening and your plans if you want me to get them moving." He said offering me his full and undivided attention.

I nodded and proceeded to do so by explaining the general overview of what the Fomor wizard intended. Then I focused on where the Fomor intended to come up out of Undertown and pointed on the map I had recovered to the site I needed the White Court to close down. There was not time to go into all the other various details of my plans except to say that I was hoping Marcone's mercenary Vikings could deal with a second site and I'd handle the third.

By necessity I also explained about Erik and Marcone's spy, neither convicting nor forgiving the White Court vampire for his actions, merely offering an objective review of what he had done and leaving the rest to Thomas. Part of the alliance agreement was that each of the groups would police its own forces and only if a member of one of them posed a direct and immediate danger to the others could they be neutralized. This is why Marcone had spoken often to Karrin about me. He would have been happy to see me placed on the sidelines, or the morgue as he feared me, but he was not willing to break his word to see it done.

"Erik may try to show up here tonight." I said so as to not leave any doubts in Thomas's mind. "In fact I pretty much expect he will have to. Will you be here to handle it?"

"Unfortunately no. I think it is necessary for me to lead the teams to the location and ensure it is closed down. Since I have the location and the plan there is no one else who can do that." He explained and I had to admit that part of tonight's activities was more important.

"I will, however, let Lara know what you learned. She will consider it a family issue and that the White Court should take care of it, but you are almost like a niece to me so if it comes down to it you have my permission to deal with him however you see fit and I will clear it all up with Lara afterwards." Well that gave me a little more room to operate.

"How will you know if the other two groups succeeded?" He asked pointing out a flaw in my plan that I had not considered. Timing was important but so was knowing all the pieces were in place before I made my move. Cell phones were obviously out of the question considering that I expected to call upon magic and they would never last with me. So that meant I needed to resort to something else.

The faerie alerting system was a possibility but while I could use them for delivering messages, the ones tonight would need to get to me as soon as possible. Faeries had a tendency to get sidetracked easily and I could not rest the fate of the city on the messenger distracted by following a pizza delivery truck and hoping for spillage. As far as senses went since sound was out of the question that left only sight for instant notification and in that case I had one potential option. It was not the best choice as far as I was concerned but it would get the job done.

I pulled one of my wands from my sleeve, damn that duct tape hurt, and filled it with a small charge of magic to infuse a spell the same way I did with the shield charm bracelet. I knew that the wand would keep the charge until dawn at least. By then either we will have succeeded or likely we'll be dead. I handed the charged wand to Thomas who looked at it strangely wondering what I intended.

"If you close the access point down point this in the sky and say my name and it will release one of my rave spells of fireworks over the city for five minutes or so." I explained. I was not pleased with giving away my most reliable magical weapon but it was the only practical option available to me. Marcone's forces would have to get the other one.

He slipped my wand into the inner waistband of his pants which had the effect of creating an illusionary bulge that probably should have qualified as pornographic. He noticed it as well and being a true guy, not just a White Court vampire, smiled in a roguish way.

"Really?" I said in a tone that made it clear I felt like I was dealing with a teenager. Mental note: I have to seriously sterilize my wand when he gives it back to me.

"I do not have sufficient pockets or the loose sleeves your garment provides to hide something of this size." He said seriously though there was little doubt he enjoyed my embarrassment as well. "I also have no desire to carry it out in the open as I am leaving as everyone will easily reason that I acquired it from you and desire an explanation from one or the other of us."

"Yeah you just keep telling yourself those lies my friend." I said with a shake of my head and then got serious. "And Thomas…" He stopped and looked at me. "..be careful…I do not want to lose you too." I did not mention Harry's name but I did not have to.

Thomas understood my pain because he shared it as well so he nodded at me and turned to leave without saying anything about it. "If we are going to get this done I have to get a move on now and also I have to tell my date I am leaving and she needs to arrange her own ride home." He said turning away and walking past me.

"You brought a date?" I asked shocked by this and more than a little jealous. How is it that everyone can just whistle up a date except me? But before I could ask more I was again interrupted, though this time by a six foot plus tall blonde woman in a killer dress.

"Mr. Marcone will likely be busy for a little while still so he asked me to speak with you on his behalf." Ms. Gard said pulling my eyes away from the retreating Thomas just as he reached who I could only assume was his date, another hot bodied woman dressed in a white hooded kimono. She was too short to be Lara so I assumed it was probably Justine and turned to offer Ms. Gard my full attention.

"That will be fine with me." I said looking around and making sure once more that we were not drawing too many stares. I found there were some, but upon closer examination all of their emotions were attributed to thoughts that originated beneath the beltline so I felt safe to proceed to talk of conspiracies and mayhem.

I laid out the same data I had provided Thomas only with Ms. Gard's I also turned over the spy's notes as an example of good faith between our groups. She accepted these and did her own scanning of the pages quickly coming to much the same conclusions that I did. If this magic bomb went off the city of Chicago was in deep trouble.

"Why are you so intent on splitting out forces among all three exit points?" She asked me looking for additional clarity in battle tactics. "Military strategists from Sun Tsu to Clausewitz would argue our side would be better served to harbor our forces at the Tower to defend with." I guess I should not take it as a shock that a Viking shield maiden would also probably hold a doctorate in military tactics. Thankfully I had considered her argument.

"If we do put all our forces in one location then the Fomor wizard will know where to strike us for maximum effect." I explained. "At a minimum he would probably deny our side access to magic with his own entropy spells which leaves our forces basically fighting with guns or hand-to-hand. I don't need to remind you that in such a fight individual Fomor are quite capable of shrugging off most bullet wounds and pretty strong and hard to kill in close as well even for your forces."

I was happy to see Ms. Gard nodded in agreement with my assessment. "Under my plan I funnel their forces together at this time and place of my choosing that we are quite familiar with." I indicated the third exit point and waited for her to acknowledge she knew where I was speaking of.

"This brings me to the final part of my plan and the permission I need from your boss because by our treaty this area sits within his designated territory." I laid out what I hoped to achieve if everything else went according to plan. I will say this for Ms. Gard, I would never want to play poker against her because she showed almost no shock when I reached the most dangerous but vital aspect of the climax of the plan.

"Are you sure your family tree does not have a strong line of Viking blood in it somewhere?" She asked with an honest interest as I handed her the charged wand, comfortable to know she would probably be the one leading the Vikings so would know how and when to use it.

"Why do you ask? Is it because my plan is so deviously ferocious or because it is only worthy of a drunken berserker?" I offered with a lighthearted smile.

"Why does it have to be either or?" Touché.

"Will he go for it?" I asked her nodding to Marcone who was still in his own conversations but occasionally glancing our way since my request was the reason he had come out of hiding.

"It is going to cost him a lot to clean up afterwards but considering the alterative of what will happen to his city I am fairly sure he will write it off in his mind as the expense of doing this kind of business." Ms. Gard said. "It will probably end up in the same ledger he keeps track of all the money Dresden cost him by burning up his buildings over the years." Wow there was a comparison that almost made me want to smile.

"The real question is are you prepared to pay what is required?" She asked as a counterpoint.

I could not tell her that there really was no one else who could because that would be leading toward a discussion about other subjects for which I had been more or less sworn to secrecy. So when in doubt act flippant. "No worries there." I said with a smile.

I could tell by Ms. Gard's expression that she was not buying it, however her cultural upbringing made it bad form to push further. Therefore it was a good time for me to change the conversation anyway.

"Speaking of costs can he get Karrin and the others released?" I asked wanting to tie up loose ends. "It would really remove one concern from my mind and allow me to focus on the issues at hand." I fully admit I am not above using guilt to get what I wanted.

"I'm sure he can mention it to the Mayor and have this done before the party ends here tonight." She agreed.

"Thanks." I said honestly.

"GONG!" Wow it had been almost ten whole minutes since anyone had arrived requiring the gong to be struck, but even still I can say with total honesty that I did not miss it.

"Ladies and gentlemen may I present your hostess for the evening the honorable Madame Yukihyou." The announcer next the sumo called out and then the two of them retreated from the scene while the matron stood at the tops step like a queen overseeing her court.

The parties that had surrounded Marcone now began to shuffle and line themselves up as a formal reception line that Madame Yukihyou would walk down along and offer her greetings to. Interestingly enough Marcone was at the head of the line with Ms. Gard at his side, and only then after three foot of open space came the mayor and city's millionaires each seemingly knowing where they were expected to stand. I am pretty sure it was a perfect example of whatever philosopher said that out of chaos came order, or did he say that the other way around?

I was making my way toward the very end of the line looking for Thomas as my reference point but he had already apparently left and I saw no sign of his hooded date either. I guess she had probably departed with him, that or she was holed up in the ladies room. I gave that last idea serious consideration myself except Madame Yukihyou had expressly asked for my attendance here and the dress alone I was wearing more or less obligated me to offering her a cordial greeting.

"Come stand beside an old man Molly and keep me company." Cardinal O'Malley said with another warm smile. For a man with a lot of responsibility he certainly found a way to not let his pressures wear him down. All in all that was probably a good quality for a religious leader.

The oriental couple behind him, probably members of the consulate staff, made room and allowed me to slip in line. I wanted to thank them and compliment the woman on her dress as well but I noticed no one else in line was talking; they were all intently listening to what their hostess had to say as she made her way to each person.

I was not nearly as interested as they were probably because I did not have the experience to make the most of it. I supposed some asked for her wisdom on issues and others were asking for stock tips for all I know; neither of which was particularly appropriate in my case. Instead my eyes followed Marcone and Ms. Gard as they excused themselves and headed for one of the side exits. The valkyrie turned my direction just before departing and gave me a slight nod that things were proceeding as I desired.

I turned back as Madame Yukihyou stepped up to welcome Cardinal O'Malley. "Illustrious greetings to you Cardinal. May you keep your flock safe and beware the wolves that seek to lead them astray." She said formally. It seemed to me to be one of those ancient prayers from a foreign language that does not quite translate fully when converted to English but beyond that it was outside my experience. I had little doubt from the Cardinal's guarded reaction that he did recognize them; or her.

"Wolves are merely one of God's creatures as well. They deserve to live in harmony and not be hunted to extinction." He said and I knew then that their words were much more than a formal greeting. The two were sizing each other up; or at least sizing up their potential for conflict. The way both seemed to relax a bit after coming up to this edge said to me that they had come to a point of mutual understanding they could live with.

The Cardinal continued. "May I present one of my flock, Miss Margaret Carpenter who comes from a fine and honorable family." There was a less than subtle threat of protection offered in that introduction but Madame Yukihyou seemed not to mind."

"I am familiar with Miss Carpenter's family." She turned her eyes from him and toward my face, avoiding my eyes which was an immediate alarm that either she knew I was a wizard or she was one and wanted to avoid a soulgaze. Either way the result was fine with me but I started to worry about the potential implications of this.

"I thank you for accepting my invitation Molly." She said reducing the formality she had used previous to keep all the others at arm's reach. "I hope once the formal introductions are completed we can sneak off to discuss other things before dinner is served."

"I am at your service." I stuttered out the first polite response I could come up with.

"Most excellent. I will hold you to that promise." Madame Yukihyou smiled and I thought, oh shit what had I done now? "You make the dress look lovely my dear. Perhaps you would indulge an old woman with the chance to brush out your hair while we talk. It has been many years since I was able to gossip like a schoolgirl."

She turned to the page who was following her and taking notes. "Please escort Miss Carpenter to the Snow Leopard room and see to her needs." She ordered and her assistant bowed at once.

She turned back to me. "I will join you as quickly as I can." She patted my hand and then turned to the couple behind me. "Consular Mirikawa thank you for allowed me to hold this event in your facility…"

"If you please…" Madame Yukihyou's assistant bowed and directed me to step out of line.

Before I did however Cardinal O'Malley put his hand upon my shoulder. "I think I will accept that kiss upon my ring now child." He said holding his closed hand out toward me.

Without thinking I knelt down and cupped his hand in both of mine as I kissed his ring. It was such a natural reaction for me that I was able to not show any surprise as his hand opened up and I felt the familiar feel of a string of Rosary Beads drop into my hands. I closed this gift up in my left hand while using my right to distract those watching by pulling my hair over my shoulder and into its proper place once more.

"Go with God child." There was a tenseness in the Cardinal's voice that put me on even higher alert.

"I plan to your Eminence." I replied and then was led off to the Snow Leopard room to await the arrival of someone obviously powerful, and who had happened to arrive recently from Asia. The Rosary Beads and the small wooden cross went around my neck and rested next to my heart offering me the comfort of my faith's protection for what would come.


	18. Chapter 18

**Honor's Debt**

**_Tuesday Late Evening _**

**_Chapter 18_**

The personal assistant led me out a side door and down a carpeted bamboo paneled hallway broken up with only the occasional painting of a Japanese fishing village. You can say what you want about Eastern cultures but I have always admired their ability to create simple elegance. I had the same feeling of comfort in this nearly barren hallway that my elaborate suite back at the hotel attempted to convey through providing for every conceivable, decadent, and stylish desire their guests expected. Still for all its peaceful sophistication I knew this hallway merely represented the calm before the coming storm I was about to face.

It was time to prepare myself then. "May I ask permission to freshen up a bit first?" I said to the aide who looked at me and nodded to my request without speaking. Under his direction we backtracked nearly twenty feet of the corridor and he pushed on a section of paneling that swung inward revealing a hidden restroom I had not even noticed when we passed.

"Thank you." I said politely and stepped inside. "I won't be a minute." I then closed the door for privacy and immediately went to the sink in front of the mirror and turned on both the water taps as full and therefore loud as I could, which annoyingly was not all that noisy but actually did not matter as these were cover for silent actions.

"Okay Margaret, I need whatever advice you can offer here." This form of communication did not need to be loud of course because I was merely talking in my head while I splashed water in the sink. For those unfamiliar with this concept some people call it thinking. I advise everyone to try it.

"I am here for you as always Molly." Her voice was comforting in such times even if it meant I was probably nuts.

"Do you have any idea what I am up against now?" I asked pretty certain that Madame Yukihyou was more than just an elder statesmen who dabbled in heroin sales on her off days. Unfortunately the list of just what she might also be was fairly long as well and my studies in these areas as of later were more focused on creatures from Europe because that is where the Fomor had originated from.

"No Molly." She said not surprisingly. "In my time I had never heard of anyone with this name, though of course the name she uses is merely an alias anyway." I projected my confusion at her remark. "No one, not even Woodstock survivors, names their child the Snow Leopard. That is one of those titles you sort of earn over time."

"Yukihyou means Snow Leopard?" I confirmed. "How do you know that?" I asked because I certainly never heard that before which made me now more certain that Margaret Dresden's voice in my head was not merely a part of my splintered personality. Yeah I was possessed and not crazy!

"Becoming relatively familiar with the older human languages was important for my own studies when I was alive child." Margaret explained to me. "Not every portal in our world was discovered and recorded by English speakers." Well there was a rather good point I had not considered. Her name however invoked another parallel train of consciousness for me. I reflect on all my recent and numerous encounters with unknown felines and projected my memories of these as well to my ghostly teacher.

"Any chance what I am dealing with is merely a shapeshifter of a cat variety?" I asked hoping this was true. That is not to say such an encounter would not be challenging, especially without my wands, but at least I would have a general understanding for motivations and capabilities. That would be a comparative god send.

"She is certainly not a being like Will and the rest of his pack Molly." Margaret shot down my hopes at once. "If she can change forms it is probably just a secondary effect much like Native American shamans or European druids develop through their understanding of nature. While such become the beast powers may be formidable to small populations for short durations, over time those living in fear like kept sheep usually figure out the creature's weaknesses, most of which are recorded nowadays, and kill it or drive it off. The looks of respect the others gave her during the greeting line were for a woman of power at the top of her game and of the various food chains. I'd consider it at least easily as likely that the cats you observed were her spies much like the Cat Lords of Egypt employ."

That was not the best news she could have provided me but at least I knew it was an honest assessment that I could trust and back up my own instincts with. It also left me right back where I started with no clue on what I was facing therefore no plan on how best to prepare. "Okay, so do you have any suggestions on how to deal with this situation?"

"Be prepared for anything child." Margaret neatly paraphrased the Boy Scout oath in the process being about as lacking of insight as she could. "It is a shame you gave away your wands Molly, I have a feeling you would have found them useful in this situation."

"Ya think?"

"Try not to be flippant dear." Margaret cautioned. "We older women do not find it nearly as charming to receive such comments as we did when we were your age and offering them as freely as you do."

"I will keep that in mind." I said and opened myself up to start drawing in as much magic as my will and training could hold. As a sensitive wizard I could feel when others were gathering magic and it usually alerted me to their intentions, or at least the potential for conflict, and I could therefore prepare myself accordingly.

On the other hand it is much more difficult sensing someone who was storing power already, unless they had too much for them to control and I could feel it leaking from their body. My job was to reach the just about filled point without going over because I hoped that whatever senses Madame Yukihyou had at her disposal in this area were not any better than my own.

"I might also suggest sheltering your mind dear because you may not have time to do so later." Margaret offered another option I had not considered. "The protection spell against the powers of the White Court that I taught you will serve equally well against other similar effects that try to influence your mind or will."

That was a great idea so I cast the spell right away. "Thanks Margaret." I thought with a mental smile.

"You are welcome child." She replied.

I was not The Gatekeeper so after about a minute or so I reached the point of full, then turned off the water and went back to rejoin the personal assistant whose emotions read he was annoyed at the delay. He did have the good graces not to project this outwardly to me in any way though. Instead we merely continued down the hall obviously making for the room at the very end where I suspected I would be left alone to my own devices and maybe video cameras until my hostess joined me. That meant I only had one last shot to try and gather any additional useful intelligence from the only source at my disposal; my escort.

"I believe we are headed to the Snow Leopard room." I said to my escort and he nodded without speaking. "I also know that Yukihyou translates as snow leopard. Is there something I am supposed to understand in this convenient connection?" I asked directly which is something rarely approved of in Oriental cultures.

"I did not know you spoke Japanese." The assistant said first in shock and then a bit perturbed. His emotions seemed to scream that there was an error in his files on me.

"Oh just a few little phrases I picked up here and there." I said in response to push him a little further. "We girls are full of surprises."

He was not buying my answer since 'snow leopard' was not one of those conversational terms like 'please,' 'thank you,' or 'where is the nearest bathroom because I think that wasabi is going to make my butt explode' that you get from the normal tourist language programs. I had him off balance and uncomfortable because of it.

He looked at me and projected his conflict between being protective of his mistress but still offering me the respect she ordered him to provide. To his annoyance he had to answer my original question as he opened the door to the room beyond. "All Japanese government buildings have a suite of rooms designated and therefore named for my mistress's when she is in residence." He explained as he stepped aside and motioned for me to enter the room that lay ahead.

With even only those few seconds to prepare myself based on this new knowledge and what I had already expected there were a few types of room designs that I found likely. The one that ranked highest on my mental list was a personal office designed much like one of Marcone's where visitors were kept at a disadvantage by the imposing barrier of a large desk.

My second choice would have been some sort of Zen of Feng Shui garden of spiritual balance where Madame Yukihyou would seek her answers to the deeper questions of the universe. Yeah you can thank to many reruns of Kung Fu as a child for that one.

Finally my third thought would be some sort of prison or dungeon cell because that is pretty much how my life rolls in these situations. Stepping inside the room thought I realized not only I was wrong, but that I was now certainly in for a load of trouble.

"Oh shit…" I said as the door behind me shut without a sound and merely a gentle breeze from its passing. Yeah I knew I could maybe fight my way out of a closed, and maybe even locked room like this but I decided that was probably counterproductive in this case.

Like the dining room and the hallway I had observed the decoration in this room was simple bamboo paneling. In this case there were also a multiple of unique decorations that covered the walls to the left and the right rather than following the minimalist style I had observed to this point. The other major difference was that unlike the plush carpeting or hardwood floors in the other rooms and halls, this one instead was covered with workout mats from wall to wall. It seemed that the Snow Leopard room in this case served as the building's private dojo.

Okay so it is not like I had never stood in a dojo before. In fact I had stood, squatted, and in fact spent a lot of my time sprawled on my back in pain from having been thrown around in the dojo Karrin regularly used. The latter events were not an insignificant reason for my less than excited expletive. But where Karrin's one was merely functional as the equivalent of a Gold's Gym, the one I stood in now seemed a tribute to thousands of years of martial arts tradition; oh an pain.

Of course the eyes of any newcomer like myself to the room were drawn immediately to the side walls filled with weapons racks. In Karrin's gym they had one rack with about a dozen wooden practice swords. In this room there were a dozen separate _racks_ of weapons, each set appeared to be a tribute to a different country, and none of the weapons on display appeared to be the safer practice variant. The wooden weapons all showed the dark gloss on handles that comes from continual contact with sweaty hands while the metal weapons all had edges that gleamed in sharpness.

I saw the standard sais, tonfas, bo staffs, throwing stars, and various length swords they instructed with in most martial arts schools, but there were also literally scores of other weapons that I had no clue what they were called or how they would be used effectively. My eyes did spy a set of fighting sticks that were almost the same size as my wands in one rack and a sword that looked very much like the holy blade _Fidelacchius_ that I had once hoped to wield but which seemed to me now destined for Karrin. The fact that the sword was an exact replica, down to sheath that gave it the practical illusion of being little more than a good sized walking stick was not lost on me either. The maker of this copy had studied the original at some point.

"Do you see anything you like?" Madame Yukihyou said from the open doorway projecting a much more serious and direct tone that her earlier greetings and words to me. This was enhanced further by her emotions projected and the environment in which we stood.

I turned to regard her and while part of me said do not play the stupid 'chat with the evil badass' game and just blast her with everything you got! I also realized she had as of yet done nothing overtly hostile towards me so such action was unjustified. Besides, taking on every powerful being you encounter just because the two of you cross paths is an excellent way to ensure a very short and violent wizard career. I guess that is why protocol required the good guys always had to stop and chat.

"I am already indebted to you for this lovely dress." I said sidestepping the more confrontational offer with politeness and respect. "I could not think of accepting another gift."

Her eyes gleamed like green oxidized bronze at my response and although she smiled at my words, her emotions did not lighten in the slightest. Instead she stepped into the room closing the rather thick door behind her. I noticed only then that the door's width had been further enhanced by a sheet of thick cork between its wood and the bamboo paneling on each side. I bet a gun could go off in here and those outside would barely hear it. That meant the normal sounds of martial arts training and battle probably would be completely unobserved beyond these walls. Oh yeah…

Madame Yukihyou did not come across toward me as one might expect were this to merely be a friendly chat but instead kept a reasonable distance between us as she made her way to the opposite wall like an opposing chess piece. Her eyes never left observing me as she made this unhurried journey and I could tell she was calculating something the entire time. This of course did nothing to alleviate the tension hanging in the air.

"Are you so sure?" She asked. "It would seem to me that at this time you would do well to accept any offers of aid that came your way. There is no shame in such when the odds are stacked so heavily against you."

"That may be true…" I added a little crazy to my voice, which was not hard as I had a well to draw upon, but in this case I was doing it for showmanship. "…but all magic comes with a price." I smiled.

Madame Yukihyou did not return the gesture, which made me certain that staying up on current television was not at the top of her to do list. Instead she maintained her silent assessment of me until it was becoming almost unbearable to stand beneath that gave without saying something more. Thankfully she was the one to break the silence before I made yet another poor joke that went nowhere.

I could tell from her emotions and her sign that she had come to a decision. "I offer you my apologies Miss Margaret Carpenter but I feel that the situation between us requires that I must take my full measure of you." She said apologetically but the tension level in her now spiked.

"No you really don't." I said trying to avoid a fight. I had no clue what I was up against though I was pretty sure it would not be good, or at least healthy for me.

"An issue of honor still exists between your people and my own I fear." Madame Yukihyou replied. "That balance must be restored."

I paused. Her words struck me from an unexpected angle. "What did you say?" I asked.

"Have you no clue who I am?" She asked. I almost pointed out it is impolite to answer a question with a question. Not that I was going to stand on formal protocol or anything since she seemed the type not to like to have such things pointed out.

"We have never met before that I know of so I have no firsthand knowledge of you." I said honestly and she nodded in agreement. "And if you have not heard I am sort of considered persona non grada with the White Council so it is not like I have access to their records or anything to perform any serious research."

She shook her head at this. "That is yet another example of foolishness taken to an extreme." She said though by the words she chose I did not know if she was speaking of me or the White Council being foolish. I'll be fair; it probably was a reflection on me. It usually is in these situations.

"That said I have a few clues; for instance I do know that we tracked something incredibly powerful coming through San Francisco a few nights ago." I continued as it was not really much of a secret. I am not one to accept much in the way of coincidences therefore I am sure what we registered was your arrival. However, to be honest I have been very busy fighting a war and trying to counter the enemy's plans to hire a ringer to help enslave my city." I explained what little I had to go on.

"Yes, it is indeed no coincidence and it most likely was me that your allies sensed as I had no reason to hide my movements. And the plans you speak of are indeed the reason I have come to your city at this time." She confirmed for me.

"And so I guess there is no way I can convince you not to follow this course of action you are on?" I at least wanted it on the record that I really tried to avoid a conflict for once.

"For issues of honor, the time of events requires that what lies between us be resolved one way or the other and no longer allowed to stand." Those words were confirmation that we were going to fight.

Though I had a little experience in rooms like this, I was way outside my element in this type of environment whereas Madame Yukihyou was obviously completely comfortable. "Of course by tradition as I selected the time and place for this meeting I must take your full measure. Therefore please feel free to avail yourself of any of my weapons in this room and for your own sake I ask that you do not hold back."

What a great time for me to have handed away my wands. Sure I had a little experience with a sword but in the context of this environment amounted to was chapter one; 'grab the non pointy end and try to stick the pointy end in the other person.' I am fairly certain she had read, if not actually written, the entire book. Therefore I decided to leave the sword as my 'if all else fails option.' Instead I grabbed up the rattan fighting sticks that were similar to my wands and turned to see what my opponent had in store for me next.

Of all the deadly weapons on display around the room Madame Yukihyou ignored these and selected instead two oriental hand fans that had been opened wide on display at the top of one case and each portrayed a white breed of big cat, one a snow leopard the other a white tiger, on the hunt. The fans showed no outward signs of hidden blades, firing poison darts, or transforming into swords like some Bond weapons I had seen in the movies, but I was hardly an expert on such things.

Thankfully all the time I spent with my wands translated nicely to these sticks as the moves were relatively similar. When I took up my wands Karrin had provided me training of basic blocks and strikes. With the sticks I was now holding I tested and found they moved much the same so I might be able to offer some sort of respectable defense as I waved the pair around loosening up my wrists.

Of course the key difference was the magic I could send shooting out of the wands. Harry's staff as just a long stick was a match for the bo staff on the wall in terms of hurting when he hit you with it, but when he aimed it your direction and channeled a hurricane through the wood the advantage was all his. I had no such luck to draw on in this case…or did I?

To be fair the weapons on the wall were all high quality and furthermore since they were owned by Madame Yukihyou there was a potential they were capable of magic even if not attuned to me directly. I think I will put that in the 'slightly less than a last resort' category for tonight's festivities. Of course I still did not have a first resort; except for my ever reliable sense of snark that served me so well.

"It seems a shame to ruin this lovely dress with blood stains." I said as I began to circle the room counterclockwise as she did the same taking measure of my agility no doubt. Thankfully the kimono was designed not to restrict my movements at all and was as easy to wear as the traditional martial artist gi Karrin had given me when I first started practicing with her.

"I selected the blunt fans to prevent you from bleeding upon it." She said in response to my lead in just as I expected she would. She had the superiority going for her so it was easy to prompt those types of reactions.

"Actually I was talking about your blood." I said plainly and without a hint of respect or fear for her talents. Yeah it was not bright since I did know she could kick my backside but Harry always explained that pissing off your opponent when you had little else was a great way to make them do something rash. With any luck I could live long enough to exploit her mistake.

Instead of words, s a response she came in quick with the closed fans held similar to my own fighting sticks, left slightly forward, right slightly back, and I prepared my own in a standard defense close to my body and head to deflect away her blows. Just outside of my reach though her left hand fan expanded open with a slight and well practiced flick of her wrist. Unfortunately my eyes were drawn to this motion and my mind even registered that this one was the fan with the white tiger.

Oh shit! Not good!

I tried to back up once I understood the danger but her right hand fan, still closed, swept under the tiger as it began to close, and rapped across the knuckles of my left hand pretty hard and nearly as fast as a snake strike. The nuns in school often used hard wooden rulers to do the same thing to get me to pay more attention in class but this blow put their minor attitude adjustment ones to shame. By pure reflex I dropped the fighting stick that hand had been holding as I scuttled back out of range to protect my even more vulnerable head, now nursing my bruised knuckles, and recognizing after one exchange I was already at a serious disadvantage.

Madame Yukihyou did not immediately pursue but instead merely smiled at me and then looked down at the stick I had dropped at her feet. Ever so daintily she pulled back the edge of her own kimono letting her right slipper adorned foot come forth. Slowly she drew her foot from the slipper without using anything but the friction from the floor, god she had incredibly tiny feet, placed her bare toes on each side of the tip of my fighting stick and by merely flexing her ankle tossed the weapon perfectly back to me. I did snatch it out of mid-air even with my bruised hand, but compared to her demonstration of pedi-dexterity that really was not an achievement to write home about.

"I believe you would be better off holding onto that for a little while longer at least my dear." She said as she slipped her foot back into the slipper and let the kimono fall back into place once more. She was incredibly arrogant, but there was a lot of fire beneath that particular smoke as well.

Alright there was no way I was going to win this particular fight with simple hand to hand fighting. I myself may be occasionally overconfident, and let's be honest still quite a bit broken in dealing with reality, but that did not mean I would ignore this particular truth; not with the way my knuckles were stinging. It was time to consider other less physical alternatives since she had said I was not to hold back.

Thankfully I had a well of magic already stored and more than a few often practiced tricks up my sleeves. Since she had already played the whole blind-and-attack routine I felt no guilt responding to such with my own unique version. As we began to circle each other once more I put a dab of magic in my right index finger and as I kept the fighting sticks weaving I flicked the magic forward toward her face. The spark acted like some self important firefly on a mission only to reach her eye level and explode in a sparkle of even tinier lights and pops. This was of course just the opening salvo of my super, ingenious, and rather cunning plan of attack.

Madame Yukihyou was hardly unaccustomed to such diversionary tactics it seemed, and calmly flicked her right wrist opening the fan high enough to temporarily cover her eyes from the burst's effects. Meanwhile her left hand worked a sweeping attack that would probably have knocked away my sticks if they had come in at her by going low, or cracked one or more of my ribs if I had tried going over the top of her fan for a distracted strike to the head.

I had done neither. Did I mention the super, ingenious, and cunning aspects of this plan? I am just checking. I would not want you to have missed out on that part.

Instead of an attack I tossed out more magic in the instant she was not watching me to create a series of illusions of myself that scattered from the central point I had been standing in. Each was of course dressed identical to me and carrying the same weapons though other times I had pulled off six unique personalities.

I had an eye for minutiae and Lea's training had refined that inherent skill even further allowing me to copy details of my surroundings without having to consciously focus and record them. Instead my mind merely projected what my eyes saw even if my brain had not processed it in words that I consciously comprehended.

Madame Yukihyou lowered her protective weapon in time to see the six of us fan out, pun intended, around her. Normally I would also have made all six images of myself illusions while I hid somewhere safer under a veil but I was pretty sure that the older woman had been watching me or at least received reports about me so I wanted to change it this tactic to hopefully catch her off guard.

I put myself at her four o'clock position initially and kept us all out of range as I tried to judge her ability to tell the real me from among the others. It would be even more cunning of her to let me get overconfident and only when I came into range show me she had not been deceived by my tricks at all. My hand was still smarting so I did not want to think of what one of those fans would do if it caught me on the side of my head.

"This is a very impressive display of raw talent especially for one so young as yourself." She said as she kept turning circles inside of the group of us. Based upon her emotions showing just slightly more concern than a moment ago I was going to assume that she did not know which one of us was the correct one. It was time to play with that a little more just to keep her off balance until I was able to strike a significant blow.

"You mean this old trick?" I had the illusionary me two to my left speak in my exact tone of voice.

"I'd think…" Now it was the one directly on my right.

"…someone as experienced as you…" And then it was the one directly across from me.

"…would have seen this…" I spoke that time.

"…all before…" Once again I chose the one across from me again.

She spun toward the only one of the six who had spoken twice which put me directly behind her as all of us stepped in to attack with sticks held at all different angles. There was no way she would be able to block them all, though in truth the only ones she really needed to were mine. Still it was the opening I had hoped for and now it was time to take advantage of it.

Except by the time we made our strikes, she was no longer there to receive them.

Instead of waiting for the rain of blows, from what looked to me like a standing position Madame Snow Leopard demonstrated that her name was not merely an honorary title by leaping upward more than eight feet in height and then arching into a back flip that carried her right over me and a dozen or so feet further only to land gracefully right by the opposite rack of weapons. It was pretty impressive to see it done in real life and not merely as a special effect on a movie screen.

"Nimble little minx." I said wondering if she knew that particular reference. If so she chose not to show it.

"Congratulations Apprentice Carpenter, I cannot recall the number of years it has been since anyone forced me to retreat from a fight even temporarily." Madame Yukihyou said as she offered me a slight bow at this honor.

Meanwhile I gathered up my clones, spacing us out a bit and having one or another perform the occasional stretch of the shoulders or neck of to keep the identity of which one of us was the real Molly Carpenter as challenging as possible. "Well you did say not to hold back." The illusion standing to my left and slightly behind me said and we all smiled.

"Indeed." She agreed as we stared across at each other. "Would you be terribly upset if I asked you a somewhat personal question?" Great I was about to face someone else who would end up harassing me about a lack of a love life no doubt.

In truth I figured she was playing for time hoping I'd give away a tell on which one was the real me or perhaps that I would tire from exerting all this magic. I moved us all forward ever so slightly and keeping her likely motives in mind I reminded myself not to get cocky.

"I believe as your guest…" The one on the far right spoke up this time first.

"…that would be a reasonable request to entertain…" The one on the far left continued. Thankfully her eyes darted to look at each one who was speaking.

"…providing my answers not end up on Facebook." I finished.

"Thank you." She said ignoring the social media comment and instead flickering her left fan open. I forced myself, and all but one of my illusions, to not focus on this movement and instead watch her eyes and body for any sign of tensing for an attack. She did not though I caught a hint of satisfaction that she suspected my distracted decoy was the real me.

"I have heard that your father was perhaps one of the most honorable men to live in these times…" She began by bringing my family into the question which I was rarely happy with.

"He still is." I had the one directly on my right speak, the same one who had followed the fan, because I sensed she was trying to get me to act rash and emotional. Really? Someone is going to try to get a girl to act rash and emotional? Who would even think _that _is possible?

"My apologies… he _is_ one of the most honorable men of this age." She continued as we all closed another foot toward her forming a half circle and keeping our collective weapons ready.

"By the same token I have heard your former master the Wizard Dresden, and I apologize if my sources that reported his untimely death are inaccurate…" Again I could sense she was trying to needle me so I ignored it. Put it in a box Molly!

"The rumors are true." I had the same illusion on my right speak again hoping I was fooling her and not the other way around.

"You have my condolences." She said with an actual flicker of true regret in her emotions.

She drew a breath to continue with her question as I stopped all our forward movements in an arc, close enough to rush her but still far enough away to make her have to turn her head at least slightly to keep us all in sight. "Still I have heard that your former master was by all accounts an equally honorable, if somewhat rash, man as well." She stopped speaking and I could sense her expectations rise.

"Was there supposed to be a question in those two assessments somewhere?" I spoke up this time and happy to see that as soon as my words were done her eyes danced from me and on to the others to keep track of them as well.

"I merely wondered with two such strong moral examples, how by all accounts you could have fallen so far from that tree?" She asked.

Part of me wanted to say 'bitch' and give myself away or else just charge her, while another part of me knew that was what she was trying to get me to do; something foolish to give myself away. So feeling pretty proud of myself for defeating her plans and not getting girly emotional in the process I did neither of these but just stayed put.

What I had not counted on was her backup, backup plan if I did neither of these things. This one involved her previously hidden right hand coming up over the top of her still open left hand fan and releasing in a perfect spray six throwing stars, one targeting each of the faces of the opponents before her leaving them no time to duck. No wonder she had landed right by this one particular weapons case.

My reaction time in calling up a shield to protect myself has only gotten better since my early days when Harry had my brothers and sisters throw snowballs at me. These days I had graduated to bullets on a far too regular basis and under the standard rules of Darwinian Law I was forced to become better as a means to survive.

Therefore, even rushed, my shield easily intercepted the throwing star and sent it deflecting off toward the side of the room.

On standard mimic instinct the illusions of myself had also tossed up illusionary shields, one to a customer, but with slightly different results. You see even the best illusionary shield cannot block an actual material object since the object has no mind to deceive. Six stars came into contact with six magical shields, and five went right on through and through the Molly that was standing right behind them as well.

Oh crap! I dropped the illusions and was calling up a veil, which is almost as fast for me as a shield, when Madame Yukihyou came straight in at me hard and heavy. Being invisible would not protect me from the beating I had coming. I had no false beliefs on my skills at blocking an accomplished martial artist for any period of time so I chose the smarter move and dove, okay it was less than gracefully, out of her way and then tried, unsuccessfully as well unfortunately, to roll to my feet.

The Snow Leopard turned on her heel after having just missed me with a strike and came on again giving me only an instant to call up any magic. Lying on the ground under a veil would not provide a successful strategy so I quickly surmised it was time to go to the 'slightly less than last resort' option I had considered earlier.

I aimed the ends of the fighting sticks toward the Snow Leopard as she charged me and flooded them with magic as my channel beofre I called out "Forzare!" The cool side was that it was probably the most powerful channeling of magic for that particular spell I had ever attempted; Lea had shown me fear of dying was a great motivator to push my skills.

Still the fighting sticks exploded just two inches beyond the edges of my hands proving rather spectacularly to the both of us that they were neither magical weapons nor particularly well suited to focusing my power. As for pain from this error, if you have ever hit a fastball with a cracked wooden bat and had the vibration numb your arms, take that particular feeling and multiply it by about a thousand.

What was left of the two stubs fell from my completely numb fingers as the back blast from the spell lifted me from the ground and tossed me to the far wall opposite of the door I had entered through and one of those conveniently without weapons racks so thankfully there were not a bunch of sharp objects knocked loose to skewer me with.

In fairness the spell was not a total failure. Sure my makeshift wands had exploded on me but the bright side was that the explosion had transformed the nearly two foot sticks into razor sharp splinters of wooden shrapnel. And since my magic had been narrowly focused it did not send these pieces flying in all directions like a normal explosion but instead directed them right toward my intended target. The result was a conflict of seasons. Snow Leopard meet desert cactus.

I gotta give her credit, even coming on full speed toward me Madame Yukihyou did try valiantly to get out of the way and also to flick open a fan and hopefully deflect some of the spiky shavings. No one, however, is that ridiculously fast.

Dozens of splinters immediately peppered her body from mid torso to face and the magical powered shockwave of the explosion knocked her back even further than me since she was lighter and off her feet rolling across the mats as well. Of course I was in no condition to take advantage of this opportunity as my arms were not even responding to me yet.

Were this a normal person I was fighting they would be unconscious or probably dead. Were it just your average run of the day wizard or monster, they would have been at least stunned giving me time to recover. Whatever Madame Yukihyou was, she was strong enough to shake off this rather devastating blow and get back to her feet as she turned once more to face me. The best I can say is that I had hurt her enough not to evoke a witty response as she shrugged it off. There was a mixture of rage and grudging respect in her emotions.

She did not quite look like a porcupine but there were dozens of little toothpick sized shafts of wood peppering her body. Most disturbing though, these wound showed no signs of bleeding. Instead each of the wounds seemed to have a small trail of smoke, like thing grey lines of yarn in thickness, winding their way upward. Madame Yukihyou's green eyes flared daggers at me for the obvious discomfort.

As I lay there hoping for the vibrations in my arms to slow so that I might find my feet as well, one by one she pulled each sliver from her skin and dropped them at her feet without showing so much as a flicker of additional pain. She also chose not to speak, merely maintaining her watch over me as her hands moved blindly but in perfect coordination to each splinter.

I did notice that as each piece of wood came clear from her skin there was a soft green flicker of light and then the wound disappeared completely leaving no scar or blemish behind. That meant the best I had managed to achieve was to tire her out ever so slightly it seemed.

It took a moment for my explosion rattled brain to put the pieces together but I now understood what I was facing. She was a vampire, healing in much the same way that I had observed Thomas do, though the green glow instead of his normal silver was the final piece to identify to me she was of the Jade Court. Unfortunately for me I knew almost nothing about this oriental line of vampires except they were rumored to be as old as the Blacks and Reds and as devious and manipulative behind the scenes as the Whites.

"You are one of the Jade Court." I said seeking a confirmation in her words, actions, or emotions. What the heck did I know about the weaknesses of the Jades? The only thing that came to mind was the traditional methods of destroying a vampire, primarily decapitation, worked on the Jades as well. I also recalled that wooden stakes were less effective unless made out of some specific type of wood that at the moment I could not recall and was not going to spend a lot of time focusing on when I had to get the hell out of here.

"No my dear I am not 'one of the Jade Court.'" Madame Yukihyou responded as she pulled a particularly long four inch needle of wood from above her right breast letting the skin seal beneath it but leaving a hole in the fine silk kimono. "I am the Jade Matron. The Court serves me." She dropped the splinter at her feet and went back to pulling more from her body.

I do not spend a lot of time talking or even thinking about it but the mission to Mexico with Harry had done a lot of damage to my psyche. Being sensitive to the emotions around me made the place a literal mad house of experiences better not to think about. For other it would compare to walking continuously on hot coals or being held underwater as your oxygen slowly runs out. Each vampire that came near me added that much more emotional pain to the point that I finally did not try to resist the feel of each but instead opened up my senses and merely hoped that the vileness would flow right through me like an oil spill flowing down a river. But just like oil spills all that poison left lingering damage in its wake.

For the most part I could deal with it day to day. Sure I was cracked up, probably nuts, but I could focus and deal with these after effects if I tried hard enough. But now faced with yet another vampire as old and powerful as those who led the Reds the horror of this encounter brought back all my fears and left me trembling. My mind said there was no fight option left, there was only the flight instinct.

I wedged my still trembling arms underneath me as I tried to leverage myself to a sitting position. My mind screamed I was moving too slow, too slow, and the vampires were going to take me and sacrifice me on a pyramid by ripping out my heart. Through these delusions my eyes still recorded what was actually taking place.

Madame Yukihyou dropped the last shard of wood and the final glow of green told me she was fully restored if perhaps just slightly weakened by my efforts. She offered me an honest smile that did nothing to calm the freaked out parts of my head. "You have actual impressed me more than I thought possible Apprentice Margaret Carpenter. You are even stronger and more resourceful than I had been led to believe; though you are still not strong enough."

That was the truth, no matter how much I might care to deny it. I had tricks and wits to delay the inevitable some, but not the raw power required to defeat her. Hell Harry could not defeat those that led the Reds. He had to resort to using their own massive power against them. Madame Yukihyou was not providing me with the same chances so it was not a surprise that I was going to lose and probably die. Oh god what if instead of death she made me one of them, or worse just a slave?

Stop it Molly or you will lose total control. Find your center, find your center!

I tried once more to push myself up but the numbness in my arms was only just starting to go away. Instead of reaching my goal my left arm gave out and caused me to roll over on my back. This left my face upward watching the Queen of the Jade Court coming for me. Both dad and Father Forthill had suggested just last night this time might come. Thinking of them and their advice I pushed aside my fears and focused instead upon my salvation, knowing I would soon be without pain and with my God.

With my God?

YES!

I lifted my right arm up to my chest just as Madame Yukihyou came to stand over me and using my still numb curled fingers as a hook, I drew forth the Rosary Beads and the tiny little wooden cross the Cardinal had provided me from beneath the neckline of my kimono. The pure silver light of faith exploded from near my chest in a burst that should have blinded me but instead left me feeling comforted and even a little more healed.

The same glow also exploded in the face of The Snow Leopard and unlike my previous burst of magic, this one had a more direct effect on the queen, sending her flying back away from me and out of direct range. It was too much to hope the power of faith would destroy her I guess. I turned to look and found Madame Yukihyou had retreated to the far corner of the room covering herself in her kimono. She was protected from the glow of the light but obviously not through with me yet.

That was good as I was not through with her either with my sense of faith having pushed back my fears. "To answer your earlier question I'd like to think I am not as bad a person as rumors make me out to be." I said still lying on my back but with my head still watching her.

"I see that." She agreed in a more subdued voice than before. "The cross magic you have at your command requires a wielder of faith and so you could not have such power if you did not actively try to live up to the tenants of your religion." She took a deep shuddering breath. "I would have to say you certainly are your father's daughter at least."

"I am glad you think so." I said just wanting the pain in my arms to cease. "I wish I could believe that about myself sometimes."

"That is how it should be." The Jade Queen replied. "When we accept such assessments of ourselves without doubts we become complacent and fail to live up to our standards. You win against great odds because you try to live up to those examples of people whom you admire. As long as that remains your star to navigate by, even in the darkest of nights, you shall never be lost child." Wow that sounded almost friendly.

"So now is it my turn to ask a question since we seem to have some time on our hands?" I asked.

"That would be acceptable."

"Why are you here?" I went for the direct approach. "What did I or anyone I know do to warrant the attention of the Jade Court?"

"As I said already it is an issue of honor."

That really did not help clear anything up so I went with what I knew. "Honor for what we did against the Red Court?" I asked figuring it was the biggest recent event. Sure the war between the White Council and the Red Court was supposed to be against all the vampire courts, but the Whites had declared themselves neutral for the most parts and the Blacks were so few in number that they stayed out of it too. I did not recall anyone saying the Jades had taken the field against us.

"Were I to have come here because of the Reds it would have been to bestow gifts upon you for their destruction." Madame Yukihyou replied with a slight laugh. "Their kind were blunt and foolish weapons, led by the insane, and reliant upon the sheer weight of numbers instead of wisdom as their guiding philosophy. Were it not for the vacuum the Red Court's destruction left behind Harry Dresden would be proclaimed savior or honored foe by all the other races in this world."

I'm pretty sure he would consider that just a bit over the top. Besides, the mission had been all about saving his daughter from the Reds not the world. But I am not one to shatter that particular illusion in the minds of others. In his life Harry had certainly done enough other worthy acts to warrant this level of universal praise.

"I do not mean to be rude but you still have not answered my question." I said respectfully as I started slowly clenching my hands and registering that I was getting some feeling back.

"Then plainly I say that I come to balance the scales for the death of my grandson." Madame Yukihyou responded more directly. "In truth there were many more that just two generations separating his blood from mine, but once you bury the first dozen or so generations you accept the abbreviated version of being 'honorable grandmother' to all the progeny of you bloodline."

Happy with the fact I could both close and open my fist and that the pains in my arms were receding I pushed myself up into a seated position and then by leaning against the wall I got my feel underneath me once more. The Snow Leopard had no reaction to my movements except to cringe slightly as the light grew brighter and more direct upon her still seated form with every movement that brought me slightly closer.

"I know I never fought one of your kind." I said as I began my slow methodical steps around the outer edges of the room and toward her. "To my knowledge neither have my father, or Harry, or any of my friends, so I am sorry but I do not know your grandson or our part in his death."

I pulled the fake_ Fidelacchius _off the rack and tossed the scabbard away leaving me holding only the naked blade as I stalked toward the Queen of the Jade Court. She either was unaware of my actions or more likely unable to do anything about it with the glow from my cross still bathing her body in its power of faith.

"Your memories are in error."

It took more than two dozen steps but I eventually reached her side and raised the blade for the decapitating strike if that action were called for. She merely cringed further into the corner sensing my presence while trying to escape the effects of holy light.

"I do not think so." I said with steel resolution in my voice. "However I know all too well what it is like to be blamed for actions I was not responsible for and have others who hear this believe these rumors. You came for the sake of your family. That is something I understand and respect in all beings. Therefore I am prepared to offer you your life if you swear to leave me, my friends, and my family alone and consider this issue resolved."

"You would leave me alive considering all that I represent?" She seemed confused.

"As I said you have never acted directly against me or mine that I know of except here and now because of this erroneous belief." I replied. "I am not your judge or executioner for simply wanting to see justice done."

Madame Yukihyou stood up and threw aside the folds of the kimono that had protected her face and skin from the light of my cross. "Nor could you be with this poor copy of a great weapon." She grabbed the sword I held by the blade and twisted it from my hand with a smile meanwhile showing no discomfort at all from standing in the holy light of the glowing cross.

"You…you…" I stuttered in shock at this turn of events but knew I had nowhere to flee so I stood my ground.

"I deceived you." She said with a nod. "I am sorry for that but as I said it was my purpose to take full measure of you; that meant not just your power, which you use to great effect, but the character and code upon which you choose to stand." She said letting the sword drop. "You are indeed worthy to take up the mantles your father and master have laid upon your shoulders so I am here to help you now."

"Help me how?" I asked fearing she would want to transform me into one of her kind. It was bad enough when Lea offered to make me one of her dogs. I am also not sure in my mental state I could handle being vested with more power than I already had at my disposal.

"For a start let me begin by healing you from the injuries my little test inflicted." She said placing her hands upon me before I had the thought to move aside and then letting a warm soothing energy infuse my body down to my very cells. It was like instantly getting the best night's, make that week's, sleep ever! It took only seconds before she drew away and I felt physically as good as I had in a long time.

"I thought vampires fed on us for power and not the other way around." I asked rather directly.

"We do." She nodded. "However I can also send the energy I store back to others as well if I so desire."

"So that is sort of like Chi healing?" I asked having experienced this myself.

"It is exactly the same." She said with an approving smile. "That would be because I was the one who invented that particular technique in fact." I knew a raksasha who might take issue with that statement on purely religious grounds, but I wasn't going to get in the middle of that particular debate.

"Second I will clear up the story of my grandson for you since I still sense your confusion and for our sake your understanding will allow you to trust me." She said and I had to admit I was intrigued. "But I will only do so if you let me fix your hair as you promised earlier." Once more she had almost a girlish innocence to that request.

"Ummm…okay…" I said again repeating my earlier line because I did not know how else to react.

Madame Yukihyou had me sit on the floor as she kneeled behind me first unknotting my hair and then combing it out with something sharp and very precise. I tried to get a look at what she had in her hands but she moved too quickly for me to see it and ordered me to stop fidgeting if I turned my eyes too far to the side. With nothing else to do I let her fix my hair as I listened to her tale.

"My grandson was a good boy, though a bit reckless in my eyes." She began her explanation. "He was constantly sticking his nose into things that were not his concern as all great men and fools tend to do. Beyond that he was also willful and sometimes worked at odds to the rest of the family. But for all that, or more likely because of those rash, independent streaks, I loved him more than any of my other descendants of this generation." She said.

"He came to me not too many years ago and explained that his days were coming to an end." She continued holding back obvious grief much like Thomas felt at Harry's loss. "I am not one to accept such pronouncements so I offered him ways to deny this, to spit in the very face of the death that stalked him, but he believed he had a destiny and politely told me no. He explained that his last wish, however, was to make his death count for something greater than to just to dying in bed."

I could sympathize with that sentiment as well.

"Your master Harry Dresden granted him this wish even though he was unaware of it at the time. He allowed my grandson to exchange the few days he had left for the life of your master." Madame Yukihyou explained. "In making this sacrifice and exchange my grandson provided your master and his friends the means and opportunity to overcome a greater evil and save millions of lives in the process. I never was a fan of my grandson's chosen career or faith, but I could not deny his success."

That story sounded familiar as she told it and suddenly the pieces all fell into place. "Your grandson was Shiro Yoshimo." I said recognizing the former Knight of the Cross and wielder of _Fidelacchius._

"Hai." She admitted nearly silently and in her traditional Japanese.

"So then you are not seeking to avenge yourself for his death." I said after a few moments of silence in respect to his memory.

"No." She agreed. "Your master provided my grandson an opportunity to make peace for himself and topple a greater evil for his faith. This action on Wizard Harry Dresden's part created a debt of honor between my line and his. As his apprentice you are his last living heir. But still I had to know that you were worthy of his memory before making this offer which is why I had to observe and test you. You have passed and are judged a fine tribute to your master's memory. My family's debt now rests with you so that I might balance these scales. I have arrived now because I believe I might offer you a means to find peace for yourself and to topple this great evil that comes for you."

I could have at that point told her of Harry's daughter Maggie and that this family debt should rightly go to her. Maybe that was the honorable thing to do except Harry made us swear not to reveal to anyone his daughter's existence. And it was not like I could not use the Jade Court Queen's help with all I faced this night.

She finished my hair by tying it up and holding it in place with two chopsticks like hair sticks. "Unlike those rattan you chose earlier, I believe were you to vest your power in these sticks you would be pleased with the results." She said with a smile and a wink.

"So you are the powerful one who came through San Francisco, but you are not The Merchant that the enemy seeks to ally with?" I asked tossing out the name for clarity.

"No… he is…" She began but her answer was interrupted as the door to the dojo burst open and her assistant made it three steps into the room before collapsing to the floor with blood flowing freely from the deep slashes along his neck, shoulder and chest. I turned to Madame Yukihyou to see her eyes flash green, jade green, once again in intense anger. Off in the distance there was the distinctive sound of automatic gunfire. It appeared that the party had really gotten exciting while we were making girl talk.


	19. Chapter 19

**Honor's Debt**

**_Tuesday 9PM or so _**

**_Chapter 19_**

It took only a cursory examination to determine that not only was the aide dead, but that the wounds inflicted upon his body had come from those backwards curved knives that the Fomor were fond of. I told this to The Snow Leopard and watched as her eyes grew darker green and her anger built even higher. She bent down then handed me back the _Fidelacchius_ replica as well as taking a pair of sais down from the rack and giving me these as well.

"Fight with these as you would your wands but do not infuse them with magic for the metal shall not channel it well." She explained and then turned and strode purposefully toward the still open door and the now dying sounds of gunfire beyond.

"Don't you need a weapon?" I called as I quickly put the sword back in its sheath and wrapped the chord over my shoulder. The sais slid nicely into the tie chord of the kimono leaving my hands free for spells if I found that to be the best course. I began to refill my magic reserves as well.

"I carry mine with me at all times." She said without turning to look my way but let her hand casually reach up and swipe at the door as she passed it. Paneling, cork, and the underlying wood tore free from the door and rained down in her wake emphasizing her point.

"Wow I hate to know what your monthly bill at the nail salon totals." I said as I hurried to catch up. This did however explain why I did not see the comb she was holding to do my hair and for that matter why she was so stringent about my not fidgeting as her nails slipped through it. If the Ginsu knives maker ever decided to get into women's hair tools I knew just who their spokesperson should be.

The gunfire had ceased by the time we had proceeded halfway down the corridor back toward the ballroom. Madame Yukihyou held up a hand to stop me, thankfully palm held out, as she closed her eyes obviously using some form or magic or senses which I was unfamiliar with.

"The security guards outside the building and most who were in the ballroom are dead, but they bought time the required time with their lives." She said to me without opening her eyes. "Four others herded the guests away from the threat and have secured them in the basement panic room. The steel walls and doors will not keep the attackers out, but the remaining guards report no signs of pursuit."

"Can you see through their eyes?" I asked wondering if this was some power she had. It would be a great means for a quick reconnaissance of what we were facing.

"No, I merely sense their upper level thoughts if I concentrate hard enough." She explained. That was still a pretty good power to have too.

Although if she had such a skill why wouldn't she have used it earlier? "If you can sense thoughts in others then why not read mine to judge me? Why resort to fighting?"

"I cannot read everyone's thoughts, only those who are sworn in body to me." She explained. "It is the culmination of a Jade Court ritual. In exchange for their promise of service I provide for their families. The bond between us is then magically sealed." She finished.

"It's the tattoos!" I said immediately putting it together. "Part of their design includes magical runes that allow you to read their thoughts even at a distance."

"Yes, though that is just the power of one of the runes I use." She said confirming my suspicions. "You have a very quick and agile mind for a mere apprentice Molly Carpenter." She said approvingly. "But the time for such discussions on tradecraft is not now I fear. We have an unknown number of enemies to attend to. Hopefully we will have opportunities in the future to discuss this more."

I gotta admit that it was an impressive means in which to ensure the loyalty of your people. Being able to read another's mind would ensure that none of her bodyguards would attempt to foster any plans for betrayal, or if they did the plans would not get very far. I have a feeling this is also why her aide had been so guarded and tight lipped with me on the way to the dojo. Slaves do not like to take liberties or push boundaries past what their masters clearly define for fear of repercussions. Like Lara Raith, Madame Yukihyou may appear the perfect hostess but there was an efficient ruthless to her rule to her as well.

We resumed our pace heading for the ballroom. Not to be too gross but the trail of blood that The Jade Queen's aide had left was pretty hard not to follow back to its starting point as it did not deviate at all. There was also a lot of it and no signs that anyone had followed and tracked their feet through it. That meant our enemies had not gotten behind us at least.

Madame Yukihyou strode without concern straight into the main ballroom where the party had been. If I had any remaining doubts about her level of power and capability in dealing with threats it was obvious she did not. Even if you were unaware that she held a special position throughout the East and therefore its embassies, her attitude said without words they gave homage to her.

I of course stayed right on her heels and found that even the danger posed by the ten Fomor warriors spaced around the room over the bodies of the defeated and dead guards did not give her pause. "Fish men you have made a grave error of judgment in making me your enemy." She said as each of them drew forth one of those annoying blowfish pipes and pointed them in our direction.

The term 'fish men' did not seem to evoke any cordial emotions, probably a reminder of being beaten into the sea by mere humans more than a dozen times, so I put that particular insult in my quiver for future use. That was of course based on my assumption that there would be a future to use it. For the first time in hours, however, with a new and powerful ally I had hopes that there may actually be.

Of course you have to create hopes to see them dashed.

"No I think they, like me, made a calculated decision that making you an enemy now provided the unique opportunities of eliminating you far from your power base, throwing the Jade Court into the turmoil of a power struggle, and ultimately allowing the Fomor to take advantage of this resulting confusion just like they did with the Red Court's destruction." Erik stepped into the ballroom from the hallway leading outside the compound with Warden Leigh Lee following faithfully behind him.

Unlike the last time I had seen the two, the pair were properly armed and attired for combat though for Erik that amounted to a merely white silk shirt open to nearly his navel. The image would have made Fabio jealous and most women swoon with romantic thoughts. The Jade Queen was unimpressed and with the benefit of my resistance spell I could take a pass on the eye candy as well.

"It will take more than them, a whelp of White, and his sex slave to take down the Jade Court." She replied without a hint of concern. "Flee now and find the darkest hole you can and I might be too busy for a few years to hunt you down."

"We shall see." Erik said way too confident for someone who I had knocked on his ass, literally, just a few hours ago. "Gentlemen if you would do the honors." He said to his Fomor allies.

"Those pipes throw poison spines." I informed Madame Yukihyou as she stood her ground calmly.

"I am aware of them. Urchin poison has no effects on me." She said unconcerned by the threat. "Stay behind me and I shall shelter you, but once the first salvo is complete show these fools no mercy. Kill whoever you wish but the White is mine!" The last was said while staring toward Erik who smiled in response and blew a kiss our way.

"THOOP!"

"THOOP, THOOP, THOOP, THOOP, THOOP…"

Ten blowfish pipes fired; not in unison like some execution squad, but when your target is not even trying to hide but instead forming a human shield to protect the cute and perky wizard behind her it was not the type of shot that required lots of coordination and aiming. The ten missiles streaked toward their targets, nine of which struck home; that tenth guy really needs to go back to blowgun firing class to miss a stationary target.

From her emotions I felt nine separate slight jolts of pain as each projectile struck her body, but the Jade Queen's confidence never for a moment waivered. However, after just a few seconds her projections changed to a mixture of panic and pain. Madame Yukihyou screamed for all to hear; a sound that had probably not been witnessed by others in centuries.

Erik smiled even wider. "The White Court maintains records on your kind Jade, and these suggested that your body is immune to the regular blood borne or respiratory system toxins the Fomor prefer." He said with his own complete confidence. "That is why I suggested to my new allies that they try a poison that affects the nervous system instead. You may be a vampire but your muscles still require signals from your nerve ending to function correctly."

The Jade Queen collapsed at my feet in obvious horrible pain as her muscles wracked first by massive convulsions in response to whatever she had been hit with and then finally settled into complete rigidity. It did not take much more for me to understand whatever the Fomor had hit her with was certainly something I wished to avoid.

"What, no condescending comments Madame Yukihyou?" Erik offered with a smile full of nothing but scorn. "What is particularly sad though is when I have to explain my brilliance for others to truly appreciate the subtlety. You see the venom of those particular quills come from the lionfish. Therefore I used a lion, a native of the desert, to destroy a snow leopard. The poetic irony is something the Courts shall speak in praise of for years." Wow if he were any happier with himself it would qualify as verbal masturbation.

Looking down at The Snow Leopard I could see from the intensity of her eyes that she was still fighting a mental battle of wills to get her flesh to respond to her commands once more. She barely curved the tip of one finger but the motion was enough to give me hope that if she had time to shake off the effects Erik and company would learn the error of their ways. I just had to provide her the necessary time.

"No lionfish for me?" I asked drawing the White Court vampire's attention away from where Madame Yukihyou was trying to recover and onto me. "Should I feel insulted?"

Erik turned his eyes toward me and sent out the sexy, I'm a rock star wave in my direction as he continued to close the distance between us. Of course thanks to Margaret's spell that effect washed off of me. I readied magic but held off casting anything just yet as it was obvious that he had something else on his mind and my destructive spells were the most powerful up close.

"I fear that necessity drives this course of action rather than insult Ms. Carpenter." He said. "May I call you Molly?" He asked but did not wait for a response. "Molly rolls so much more nicely off the tongue. At least that is what I expect to happen soon."

I was so glad that I was protected from this 'do me' vibe he was projecting because I was certain my body, now almost fully healed and energized, would likely have been tempted by the offer. Instead, thanks to magic, I could offer him my own surprise counter to his attack; outright rejection.

"My god, how does a sex vampire ever get to feed with cheesy lines like that?" I asked projecting the pure emotion of mockery. "You have to be relying a food bank equivalent for sex or something right? Government subsidized seduction? The generosity of rich, bored great grandmothers? I mean come on please tell me none of my gender degrades themselves by finding that approach at all appealing."

I turned my head ever so slightly so that Warden Lee who was stalking up loyally behind Erik could see I was looking at her. "Okay I guess I was wrong on the last part. But there is no way there could be two women that desperate can there?" From reading their emotions it really came down to a coin toss of which of the two felt more insulted.

"The only reason you are allowed to still live is that I require information from you on where you have stored the skull so that I might pay off the Fomor wizard for this alliance." Erik said. "He wanted to gather the information from you himself but is last minute busy with his own devices. Since I knew you had only mentioned this party as a means to draw us here I decided instead to use it to turn the tables on your plan and in doing so advance my own."

"Right up until that bomb goes off and wipes out Raith Manor along with the rest of us." I replied. "I thought you were a 'family first' type of guy. I am not sure how this helps that cause."

"A convenient belief I chose to foment among my kin." Erik stopped beyond striking range with Leigh standing beside him. "I fear that after the bomb goes off Raith Manor will come under direct attack as well by the Fomor as response to my family's continued opposition. Unfortunately it will be a massacre of those in residence leaving me, cousin Lara's handpicked liaison to the White Council, to pick up the pieces of our scattered family and restore our power base once more." He explained.

"Of course with this change comes a chance to reevaluate our alliances and since Chicago is lost, declare ourselves neutral in this war and let the Fomor keep the city for themselves." He smiled. "Personally I find the California sun far more appealing to my tastes than the wind and snow here."

"It will never work." I countered. "I have no doubt that the other White Court families have learned someone is working with the other side and set this up. All the evidence will point right to you. They will never follow you and probably work to have you removed or even your whole family destroyed."

"That is true." Erik agreed far too readily. "Thankfully I will have the head, literally just the head, of the Jade Court to point to as the insider working with the Fomor trying to set the White Court up to take the blame. The other families of the White Council respect power and having not only taken control of my own family, but also obviously having destroyed one as powerful as the Jade Queen they will have to accept my rule." Wow he really knew how to make the most out of an opportunity I had to give him that much at least. And without magic or technology to draw upon the other witnesses like Karrin Murphy or Marcone would be easy to silence permanently so no loose ends.

"The only thing left is for me to collect the skull and for that I need you to tell me where it is." He said with a confident smile.

"Yeah that is so not going to happen." I said in response as the Fomor moved so that they each had a clear shot and aimed their blowpipes in my direction.

"Leigh and I thought as much so we put down a little wager between us. The loser must submit the winner's most degrading desires in bed for a full twenty-four hours." He said with emotions that projected as far as he was concerned there was no downside to this bet for him.

"I care about this why?" I asked.

"Because you my dear are the decider of which one of us has to pay up." He explained. "You will talk and tell me what I want my dear, there is no doubt about that. The only question is do you prefer to try your chances the hard and painful way…" He said looking over his shoulder at Warden Lee who dropped her cape to prevent a repeat of my earlier attack as she readied her sword. No one ever said those selected for White Council Warden were stupid.

"…or the fun and easy way?" He said slipping off his shirt and exposing abs that should be criminal.

This would have been an absolutely lovely time for Madame Yukihyou to jump up and beat the hell out of all dozen or so enemies but her emotions registering panic and rage had not lessened in the least telling me that her vampire metabolism had not overcome the lionfish venom yet. Looks like I was going to have to make that choice after all.

"I assume that since I have an invitation this is not a private party?" A new voice spoke up. It was one familiar in inflection but the sound of the voice was somewhat muffled. Thomas's date still wearing her hooded kimono walked toward the three of us ignoring the half dozen or so blowpipes that turned in her direction. None of these fired as Erik held his hand up to warn them off from this action, at least for the moment.

The woman stopped beside me and with all the grace of Princess Leah talking to R2D2 about a secret mission the new arrival flipped back her hood revealing her identity.

I would have loved for it to be Karrin Murphy because I am pretty sure that she could lay down a serious butt kicking under these situations. I would have accepted Lea, Maeve, Lara, or hell even Mab as all that crazy evil power would at least have been on my side for once. Heck I am not choosy. If I could have gotten Lord Kline the nearly ten foot troll to wear the dress I would gladly have accepted him as well. Of course I never have that kind of luck. I only have one type; bad.

"Felicia?" Erik said surprised by her appearance here. In truth I was as well but I was too busy trying to calculate the possibilities to spend any time with my mouth hanging open.

"Hello brother dear." She said silky smooth. "Did you miss me? Is that why you returned from California without permission?"

"I…I…" Wow psycho hose beast actually got her brother Mr. Too Cool to stutter.

"Do not waste your breath dear brother." She said with a silver flash of her eyes. "I have been here long enough to have seen and heard everything. I only wish you had spoken to me before starting down this path of insanity you are on."

"I doubt you will think it is insanity in a few hours from now as it all comes true." He said. "But you need not face that fate. You are my sister and I could use someone of your talents to watch my back as my lieutenant as we rebuild the family."

"If I thought you had a chance in hell of pulling it off I would be sorely tempted. But you do not and worse still you do not even know it." She replied. For humans like me such honest betrayal for the trust Lara placed in her would have been reasons enough to ostracize her. In the White Court such things were genetically preprogrammed in their DNA. Lara did not trust Felicia, she merely was fairly confident no one would be capable of providing her a better offer that had a remote chance at success.

"You are wrong." He denied her argument in much the same tone that Daniel and I argued in. "All the pieces are already in place and those who might stand against us are neutralized." He said pointing to Madame Yukihyou who still struggled on the ground though I noticed her fingers seemed just a little more closed than they had been a few moments before. "All I need is to get the skull's location from this one and then take the Queen's head with me when I get out of town before the bomb goes off. Thankfully the pathway back to California is not far from the rally point where I will drop off the skull with the Fomor wizard. So see you can join us and escape this fate. You will just have to submit to my rule." The smile he gave his sister was not one to be shared among siblings.

"Pass." She said looking at me first before answering.

"You would cast your die with these others? For what purpose?" Erik was obviously confused.

"Because they are going to win." Felicia replied.

"How?"

"I do not know." She replied. "I only know they will. Her master made an art form out of crossing beings far more powerful than him such as the Red Court and walking away from it." She said as she pointed at me. "She has nowhere near his power but has every bit as much skill in surviving and destroying her enemies as Dresden did. Lara respects and even fears the both therefore I will not bet against them." She finished.

"Uuummm… thanks…I think?" I said.

"Fool." Erik said dismissively. "You have merely consigned yourself to the same fate as the Jade Queen." He nodded and all ten Fomor blowpipes now turned to aim in his sister's direction.

"No I have an advantage of knowledge on my side." Felicia replied. "I know you, and even more important I know what you need." She moved fast, vampires are quite good at it, and was standing beside me with her hands on my neck before I knew what she was planning. "If I snap her neck the location of the skull dies with her, or at least prevents you from providing it in time to receive your promised payment. The others may win but you will lose just like the rest of us."

"That is true, but I am not about to allow you to freely walk out of here and destroy my plans either." He said crossing his arms before his sculpted chest and motioning the others not to take any rash action with the merest shake of his head. Welcome to a Mexican standoff.

"Well there are always other ways to spend time until the end of the world." Felicia leaned in and slowly kissed the back of my neck. I can truthfully say was not really into this scene as I had never pictured myself performing such acts with a succubus for the pleasure of her brother and an audience but her kiss was like lightning, especially when she opened her mouth and let the tip of her tongue touch the goose bumps she had raised on my flesh. That was mildly distracting to say the least.

It also therefore took me a second to get my bearings and understand the way she was rolling her tongue over my flesh was slowly writing letters in a personal message only I could feel. I played catch up. "R…U…S…T…M…E…" The kiss ended and I felt her lay her chin on my shoulder as she looked back at her brother with a smile.

Okay either I had been a little slow and missed the first letter of 'T", which I defy any of you others to have done better when faced with this same surprising and sensual situation, or Felicia was a fan of the Tin Man in the wonderful land of Oz. I think I am going for the first option in this case because the second did not make much sense even in my crazy mind.

"As an intriguing an offer as that is dear sister I fear I am forced to decline as I am on a bit of a shortened timeline here and do not have enough to waste with such games." He said turning her down.

"Well if it is a rush job then I am definitely going with the hard and painful way if I still have a choice." I said looking away from Erik toward Warden Lee. Felicia laughed and Erik scowled at my comment.

"There is an interesting option brother." Felicia changed tactics. "Let's make a game of it; Molly and I against you and your play toy." She smiled and oozed sexuality. "You and I can settle things between us in the traditional Shiatsu manner and if you win then you have me as your loyal and trusting lieutenant slave. Molly and your friend can play their wizard games with each other."

"I have no doubts I can put you in your place dear sister and Leigh is a trained Warden whereas Ms. Carpenter is merely an apprentice. Still I will admit Ms. Carpenter is far too resourceful for me to accept the deal as it stands." He said. "Molly is holding a sword so let them fight it out with blades not magic while we do our thing." He offered. "That is unless of course you would find this chance for bloodletting too distracting for your delicate tastes. Do we have an agreement?"

"I agree." Felicia said touching my neck where she had moments ago spelled out her message to me.

"I am game." I said as well. For their point the Fomor did not stop targeting Felicia and I and instead spread out around the room a bit to ensure at least half would always have a shot no matter how we moved.

"Excellent." Erik said raising his hands with his fingers slightly separated at his chest level. Felicia stepped in front of her brother and put her own hands up to do the same though keeping them from touching just barely.

"Margaret what the hell are they about to do?" I asked wondering if this were some White Court version of knuckle wrestling and if so why Felicia would have agreed since she was smaller and Erik was obviously stronger as evidenced by his vein ripped biceps.

"Focus Molly." I thought to myself. Or maybe it was Margaret voice as my mind and eyes were distracted as Warden Lee stepped off to Erik's left to give herself some room without worrying about disturbing whatever he was about to do. She took up a standard fencer's pose that looked just a little too comfortable and practiced for me to be happy with.

"The Shiatsu manner is a White Court game of dominance." Margaret explained as I pulled the scabbard off my sword and took a moment to act like I was examining the blade as I had watched Karrin do before sparring. "Like many people those of the White Court can focus their sensuality into their fingers and use it to project to others. The finger tips are also some of the most sensitive nerve reception endings in the body as well. What the two are going to do is focus to see whose seduction power is the stronger."

"Really, this is the White Court version of determining who has the greater Kung Fu?" I asked thinking it was strange.

"Yes and no." Margaret's voice said as I stepped over to my spot and took up a stance in preparation for my own fight. "Unlike Kung Fu, the loser of a Shiatsu match is under the complete sexual domination of the winner without the will to resist." Wow, that really was an interesting way to earn a black belt that you never saw advertised on television.

"Focus dear or you are going to get skewered." Margaret reminded me just as Warden Lee made her first test lunge to judge my reaction time and skill with a blade. Metal clanged on metal but her slight smile told me the judgment was already in and she had found me wanting.

Okay I had maybe thirty hours of practice with a sword. Yes I had wanted more but there are so many hours in a day and with things constantly trying to kill you, or all the studies required of an apprentice, free time is not something you get a whole lot of. On the other hand Warden Lee probably had that much time holding a sword while blindfolded. I am not kidding. Carlos Ramirez once told me that blind fighting was just one of the sword techniques that Wardens were required to learn. So to say this was going to be anywhere near a fair fight was outlandishly optimistic.

Warden Lee snapped a horizontal blow at my eye level but pulled it back at the last second and so for me to even block it meant I had to lean forward into the blow to reach it which I did instead of the smarter thing of just letting it pass harmlessly by. I might as well put a neon sign over my head that proclaimed I was not good enough to rate a novice with a blade. More annoyingly Leigh shook her head in obvious disgust.

"Back to the basics of what Karrin taught you Molly." I though and got back into a dueler's pose and calmed down. In my mind I sectioned off four squares with my heart serving as the center point. As I was right handed my upper right would be my strongest defense and my lower left my weakest therefore my blade needed to be centered over my right chest for the best reaction times to all four quadrants.

Leigh tried a quick jab toward my eyes again, a common attack on novices as it makes them blink, but I batted her blade away easily and she raised an eyebrow to reassess if I was better than she had judged or had just gotten lucky with that blow. This gave me a second or so to deal with other issues of equal importance.

"Margaret I am counting on you to monitor Madame Yukihyou and Felicia for me and if either situation changes let me know." I could feel her agree without speaking so not to provide any additional unwarranted distractions. This was good because the young Warden was now done looking for answers.

"It looks like I am going to be the one to pass down the White Council's judgment on you yet." She said with a smile that showed no regrets whatsoever. "It will be good to know justice is served."

She was taunting me into striking to judge how much offense I knew but I was not falling for it. If she wanted to duel with words and snark though, then I was her girl.

"Look just because your boyfriend thinks I am hotter than you it's no reason to make this personal." Whoops. Geez Molly I guess you just did. Bad on me.

"That is merely his means of getting you to talk." She said. "It is not true interest."

"I can accept that." I replied. I mean when I first saw him I thought he was too cute so he had to be gay. And let's be honest of the two of us you definitely are the one who looks more like a pre-pubescent boy." Note, there are many girls for whom a certain body part size is as much an issue as it is for some men. Warden Lee's sudden anger confirmed she was one of these.

Her attacks came in fast and furious and I could do nothing but try to put my own blade between hers and my flesh. For the most part I was successful though a stinging pain on my left arm said it was not one hundred percent so. Damn she was quick.

"First blood goes to me." She said with a satisfied smile and lowered her guard just a bit to salute me and her own accomplishment. I guess she got picked on a lot about her boyish good looks in the past and was taking additional glee in this.

I was also dumb enough to take that offered bait and attack even though I was fairly sure that was exactly what she had hoped I would do. I came in low, high, low, low again, and high and her sword was there to block each of my thrusts with the exception of the last one. Instead of blocking that one she leaned back and let the blade go past her and then the flat side of her blade slapped against the back of my hand sending my sword flying off almost right between Felicia and Erik. Felicia flinched just a bit and Erik smiled though neither vampire's fingertips pulled back from the duel they were engaged in. I did not know if they could not for fear of losing, or would not because of the sensations involved.

"I believe that was your sword Apprentice." Warden Lee said that last word like she was taking the worst medicine ever.

"I'm just wondering." I replied as I backed away and she let me. "Is your middle name Lee too? I mean were your parents totally without imagination or did the person making out your birth certificate have a typing stutter?" Hey I am making this up on the fly, and besides it was working to piss her off. Now I just needed to find a way to capitalize on this before she cut off my head.

"Molly, Felicia is losing." Margaret's voice warned me and a quick glance showed that the female vampire's eyes were glazing over and beads of sweat were forming on her forehead while her brother was becoming ever more confident. I started to raise my hand for a spell but the Warden had been waiting for that.

"If she moves her hands except to use weapons hit her in the legs with the lionfish darts." Leigh told the Fomor who seemed excited by this prospect to get involved in the fight. "She will still be able to talk and tell Erik what he wants even if she can't move from the waist down."

Crap I hadn't considered that option. "We wouldn't want that." I said as the unconscious snark burst forth. "Erik might get confused and think he was in bed with you." Wow that was another thought worthy of Confession. By the look of pure hatred that the Warden shot my way I was probably not going to get a chance to work that one off. I pulled the pair of sais from my waistband and found that as Madame Yukihyou had proclaimed other than being slightly heavier they were relatively similar to my wands.

Warden Leigh came forward in a killing rush this time. I guess there were some performance issues in bed she had to work out and I had exposed that particular wound to the public. Luckily while I only had thirty or so hours of practice with a sword, I had hundreds of hours of practice and real combat with my wands so I was much better positioned to offer a defense, especially against an enraged and overly emotional opponent.

I successfully blocked every stroke of the sword that was trying to do serious harm to my body. In fact after the nearly two dozen or so blows had rained down upon me without success Warden Lee pulled back to reevaluate and I had a little more confidence in my ability to survive. Then she connected with a surprise side kick as I was watching her blade that sent me flying back a dozen or more feet. I landed hard but at least held onto my sais.

"Molly, Felicia is about to succumb." Margaret's voice informed me. I rolled to my knees in almost the center of the room and looked up from where I sat watching Warden Lee stalking toward me with the open entry door to freedom beckoning me from a ways behind her. About thirty or so degrees to her right Erik was dominating his sister as his fingertips were now nearly horizontal and Felicia's hands were turned upward; the glaze of emotional overload glowed upon her face.

What the hell let's go for broke…

I flipped the sais and caught the blades successfully without cutting my hands. I tossed the left handed one toward Erik hoping perhaps at worst to distract him and then threw the right hand one as hard as I could in a straight line toward where Warden Lee was standing.

Having never used sais before I found they flew better than expected. That said the Warden was not nearly as impressed. Understanding my intention of the first blade she stepped lightly to her right and with near casual indifference and a flick of her wrist used her sword to deflect the flying blade headed for Erik off above his head without him losing his concentration. Because she had moved to perform this defense of her lover the second blade I had tossed with my right hand posed no threat to her so she did not even attempt to block it and instead let it fly free.

Can we say error?

Warden Lee let the sai fly past without understand that the target had never been her, it had been the giant six foot gong by the doorway in a line directly behind her. Sure the sai was not a six foot mallet swung by a sumo wrestler but for what I needed that was overkill anyway. A heavily flung steel sai striking the percussion instrument just off center with the heavy weighted ball on the handle was enough to send the gong toning loud enough to hurt my eardrums and I knew it was coming.

Felicia, for her part, had still been conscious enough to register what was coming as the sai flew by and also made a mental preparation as she had heard it before as well. For the Erik and the Warden who had not heard this sound when they came in the noise was akin to thunder exploding right next to them and they both lost their concentration as the echoes reverberated in their eardrums and teeth.

For the Fomor the noise was worse than Hell itself. I had found my strings of firecrackers were enough to disorient their kind. The gong reverberations by comparison knocked them flat, comatose, and with blood leaking from their ears. When I got a chance I would have to find a way to magically work that sound into my rave spell!

And speaking of spells. I stood up and ran toward Warden Lee who was still trying to shake off the effects of the reverberations as well. I pictured the magic I wished to create in my mind, focused my will, swung my hand and called out what was to me the most appropriate words I could come up with off the cuff. "Tom and Jerry!"

The magical shield-like force I pictured formed the instantaneous shape of a nearly translucent frying pan in my hand. Wardens of the White Council are trained to counter just about all forms of magic but not even their intensive training prepared them for a Warner Brother's cartoon.

Leigh tried to deflect the blow with her sword but only the area of magic that contacted the blade was paused. The rest, like rushing water around a stone, kept right on going and made contact with the side of her head. That had got to hurt! And if she thought her ears were ringing before, boy did she find out how much worse it could get. She fell to the ground, not dead, but certainly out of the fight.

"Guess they didn't cover that one is Warden school did they bitch?" I asked and turned to Erik and Felicia.

The shock of the gong had certainly surprised and screwed with Erik more than his sister, in part because she saw it coming and more because he was closer and she could and did use him as a slight shelter from the effect. Add to that the sensational bond a White Court vampire maintains with its primary sex slave and the ringing in Leigh's head also transferred in small part to Erik. It was not pain he felt, merely distraction, which in this case was probably worse.

Felicia's power surged at her brother's slip of weakness and while he struggle to recover she grew confident with each second as she fought her way back to equal and then pushed him back. I could see her eyes glowing silver, the mark of a White feasting or pushing their power reserves. In response Erik's eyes grew wide with fear and then he collapsed as a quivering mass at her feet like some loyal yet beat down dog.

"OH YES!" She screamed in what I can only accurately call orgasmic delight. I turned off my senses as best I could because that was in its own way nearly as horrible as the bloodletting I had felt in Mexico.

"Quickly ask your questions!" The words seemed strange and I looked back and found Felicia's silver gaze staring at me as her hand caressed her brother's face who was curled up hugging her knees in pure devotion. I did not want to stick around for round two so I did as she suggested.

"Where…" I coughed at the sight of this and started again. "Where were you to take the skull once you recovered it?"

Erik ignored me as his mind and body only responded now to his sister. "Tell her what she wants to know and I will give you rapture greater than any you have ever felt." She purred and Erik nearly drooled in response.

"I was to take it to the rally point an hour before midnight for this is where the Wizard shall pay The Merchant." I looked to the big clock in the ballroom, thankful none of the gunfire had taken it out, and realized I had little over an hour then. I guess time really flies during back to back ass kickings.

"Do you require any further information?" Felicia asked me as she stroked her brother's hair.

"No, I'm good." I said coming over to Madame Yukihyou to check on her condition. Her eyes were still an intense green and her left hand was slowly tightening into a fist and relaxing but the poisons in her body were not showing any sign of releasing her.

"I have to go and…"

"CRACK!" The sound of breaking bone is distinctive and I turned in time to see Felicia finish the quick snapping of her brother's neck and then release his body to let it slide lifeless to the floor. She looked at me with a predatory seriousness. "The White Court polices our own."

Ummm yeah no doubt. She looked like she was still in the mood to kill some more though. "Can you see to the Fomor as well?" I said not knowing if they were dead or not but better not to make assumptions. I also did not have the time to handle this myself.

"I need to feed." She replied. "You friend there most likely does as well." She nodded to the Queen. "I think that seafood is on tonight's menu." Yeah she really was disturbing. "What of the wizard?" Her last nod was toward the unconscious Leigh Lee.

This was one of those situations I did not want to face. The White Council would want her to know what if any secrets she had passed on to the White Court. From an Oblivion War standpoint she had heard of and maybe even met The Merchant making her a liability because of her knowledge. That meant I either had to kill her or wipe her mind clean, neither action would endear me to The White Council if they learned of it in the future.

"Leave her for Madame Yukihyou to deal with." I said and then leaned over and whispered in the Jade Queen's ear as I grasped her hand. When I was done speaking she slowly clenched my hand twice with her to tell me she had heard and understood what I was asking. For now that would have to do and I would deal with the ramifications of that only after we survived this night, and looking up at the clock I knew time was running out.

I stood up and headed for the door without another word to either of them. I had an appointment to get to and a skull to deliver.


	20. Chapter 20

**Honor's Debt**

**_Tuesday After 10PM _**

**_Chapter 20_**

Thanks to the map I knew which of the buildings I was searching for and so could focus more on protecting myself and ensuring success of my plan than trying to scout out to identify my target. That is not to suggest that some scouting was not still required in this situation. However, now instead of looking for where to get to for the meeting I was able to focus on where not to go and what types of security were in place that I had to deal with. It probably makes me seem immodest but this is really an area that I have become pretty darn good at in the past year.

With only forty five minutes before the designated meeting time I had to not waste time so I started by performing a cursory check of the outsides of the buildings that surrounded my target and in this process located half a dozen mercenaries keeping watch. They were all armed to the teeth, wearing lightweight body armor, and carrying a variety of support equipment such as eye wear and radios. To tell you how screwed up my life had become I would register this as not a problem merely something to stay aware of.

Their emotions also registered as bored more than anxious so I figured there was still time. Even with their night vision or infrared goggles my veil was not going to let me down and I made my way into the building after fifteen minutes without a whole lot of concern.

The outside guards were not a complete surprise but what I really needed to know is were people showing up so we could get the party started? Therefore, once inside the building I moved to the closest emergency stairwell right by the doors and headed down. I needed to descend only part way for my senses, both normal and magical, to pick up the low murmurings of lots of beings waiting nearby in a fairly confined area and that their emotional drive was an overload of a desire to cause mayhem and destruction. Both the deep pitch of voices and the destructive tendencies are ones that I had come to associate with the Fomor. Okay at least one third of the wizard's army was already in place. Now if Thomas and Ms. Gard can accomplish their assigned tasks we might be able to buy the city a little respite tonight.

I went back up the stairs and followed the main hall to the first door on my right and stepped inside. Thankfully Daniel's instructions had been rather easy to remember and I ended up exactly where he had told me to be. I could have followed some of the recent construction additions and be led here as well but knowing ahead saved me a few precious moments to get my head on straight for what I had to do.

I also knew this was the right room to be in because I immediately saw Bob's case was right there lying in the center of the room wrapped in explosives just as I had instructed my brother.

Shocked?

You shouldn't be. I mean if there were some very serious actors wanted to get their hands on him, denying them this goal was probably the most important thing I could do. Yes you might call the involvement of explosives a bit extreme but it certainly said that I was serious. I needed a backup I could trust other than magic and my limited fighting skills.

Beside the explosive decorated, yet highly stylish, carrying case was another remote controlled switch detonator whose purpose was to set off the explosives from a safe distance. Daniel had avoided the high tech electronic ones of today that let you register temperature and motion even and went instead with the simple 1950s toggle switch version which was much less likely to have a magic-related malfunction. I stayed six feel away from both the switch and the case as I closed my eyes and mentally prepared myself for the next phase of this grand master plan that others called crazy.

When I opened them again I observed that the sky was flashing and flickering making odd shadows dance outside the window in varying colors of red, blue, green, and white. It took me a moment to rgister that was the reflective effect of my fireworks going off in the sky on the north side of the building. That meant according to my plan Thomas and the White Court strike teams had succeeded in their assigned task of blocking off the second egress point the Fomor planned to use to attack the Tower.

I had no idea whether he collapsed those tunnels or simply sealed them off with magic but I was fairly certain he was now leading his remaining forces away from that point and back to the Sears Tower to offer a last ditch defense if my part of the plan failed.

I looked off to the southwest hoping Ms. Gard and the Vikings would fire their message of success off too, but after the five minutes for the northern one to burn out followed by another minute of waiting for good luck, I decided I could not wait anymore. I had to proceed and hope for the best. My portion relied on keeping the Fomor Wizard off balance once their parts had occurred so he could not change plans. One side or another would score a significant victory in our war tonight.

I stood as far away from the explosives as I could get while staying in the same room and then bent down and touching the floor released a minor powered spell a little at a time. I could feel as the magic pushed through the concrete beneath my fingers, defusing slightly as it wove through the layer of reinforcing steel rebar, but still having the necessary power once it reached the open space of the basement to achieve its desired effect. Once down there it immediately spread out through the open spaces and put forth its magic for those below to enjoy. The Fomor probably would have used a magical chemical weapon. I of course was much more mundane in my magical ability. From the top if you would there Ringo!

_I'd like to be under the sea_

_In an octopus' garden in the shade_

_He'd let us in, knows where we've been_

_In his octopus' garden in the shade_

It's not like I am a master DJ or anything but I decided to try for what would be the most annoying song I could come up with to the Fomor. I had been leaning toward a coin toss between 'It's my party and I will cry if I want to' or the 'Do you like Pina Coladas' song, both of which I believed are outlawed for this type of warfare under the Geneva Conventions, (but which the Fomor have never signed), when my radio on the drive to the hotel had spit out this classic tribute to invertebrates everywhere. The fact that it was water-related immediately jumped it into first place.

_I'd ask my friends to come and see_

_An octopus' garden with me_

_I'd like to be under the sea_

_In an octopus' garden in the shade._

_We would be warm below the storm_

_In our little hideaway beneath the waves_

_Resting our head on the sea bed_

_In an octopus' garden near a cave_

I mean if the lyrics of this song are not the ultimate argument for avoiding mind-altering drugs then I do not know what is. Can you believe this was the last song they let Ringo write and perform lead vocals on? I'm thinking they were one too late actually. Worse still is that they still play this song on the radio today. And my god, the Muppets even performed this when I was still young and impressionable.

_We would sing and dance around_

_Because we know we can't be found_

_I'd like to be under the sea_

_In an octopus' garden in the shade_

_We would shout and swim about_

_The coral that lies beneath the waves_

_Oh what joy for every girl and boy_

_Knowing they're happy and they're safe_

_We would be so happy you and me_

_No one there to tell us what to do_

_I'd like to be under the sea_

_In an octopus' garden with you._

Okay, I know I am being rather harsh on this song. Also I am willing to bet that today there are probably still teenage girls in small towns across America with perky cheerleader-like names such as Alli who will tell you this is some sort of deep song worthy of undying respect and adoration because it was made by the Beatles.

It is not.

It is simply annoying.

And my proof in this is that the emotional level of outrage the Fomor had at being in a confined space and suffering through the entire song went up exponentially as the song went on. I mean this was probably worse than being trapped in a broken elevator and forced to listen to Kenny G music!

With the spell expired I wandered back to stand next to Bob's carrying case to ensure it stayed in reach for the next aspect of my master plan; the last was said with a heavy dose of internal monologue sarcasm. It also kept me close to the switch if things went really bad right off the bat. That was not what I suspected mind you. I am pretty sure some negotiation was in my immediate future, but the negotiation was likely only because of how I had arranged these other details to force talking rather than magic, explosions, and outright horrible destruction.

"So you came to this location yourself and you even brought the skull with you, that is a bit of a surprise." The Fomor Wizard said with his terrible accent as he stepping into the room. "You must be incredibly confident of your friend to act so bold." I was not sure which of my friends he meant, if he was referring to my established allies or perhaps had some insight into my new alliance with The Snow Leopard.

I did not ask. Instead I found he was evaluating me under this new light while I was doing the same with him. Up until now I had only met lesser skilled mages of their race before, the most recent was the one whose body was left outside Butter's medical examiner's office and they were definitely challenging. This now was the first chance I got to evaluate one of the twelve ruling leaders of their kind which meant he was probably going to be serious trouble.

Since becoming Harry's apprentice I had been dealing with a vast array of mythical beings so it had become natural for me to assess the relative power of each in order to understand just what I was up against. Thankfully my sensitivity skills allowed me this insight and my 'active lifestyle' provided more than enough opportunities for me to practice and refine it to the point I could do it now with barely more than a glance.

I probably should create some sort of equivalent Richter Scale rating, something from 'no problem I got this' to 'oh shit… run' but I had not had the free time to dedicate to this. Besides there seemed to be way too many in the 'oh shit run' category as of lately so probably need to further refine that end of the spectrum.

That said the Fomor wizard's power I assessed rated slightly higher than The Gatekeeper's, which pretty much topped out what humans were capable of, but significantly lower than the Leanansidhe. Okay so powerful, but not quite near demigod level.

Of course this was still many multiple times the level of power I had to draw off of but it is always good to keep things in perspective. And who know what type of power he would gain in his dealings with The Merchant. Better to stop him here and now if I could. Yes, that was a big 'if.'

He kept coming forward, having made his own assessment and through his emotions he showed he did not have a whole lot of concerns as a result from what he saw in me. I guess he had overlooked the technology aspects of the situation he was facing, or was perhaps unfamiliar with what it meant for him and his plans. That meant it fell to me to educate him.

"I would not really come any closer." I said trying to convince him to stop without becoming aggressive and therefore inciting him to do exactly what I was trying to prevent.

"Do you think that I fear the mighty Rag Lady of Chicago regardless of how she chooses to clothe herself?" He asked demonstrating that he had done his homework on me as well. He took another step as if daring me to try to stop him.

A dot of red light flickered for an instant on his chest and had I not been already looking at him I probably would have missed it. The fact that I saw it, and had watched my share of action movies, was enough to know someone had lit him up for a second with a laser sight through the window that was directly behind me so out of my vision. Of course the fact that it had gone out immediately probably meant it the light was now centered on my own back instead. So much for my keeping the mercenaries unaware of my presence in the building.

Okay this was not a situation I had prepared for in my plans and sitting next to wired explosives and then calling up a magical shield was not something I wanted to chance.

The irony here was the gunshot from a distance is pretty much exactly how Harry had been killed. Either someone was doing their homework or I had a death wish.

The last half of that comment suddenly concerned me. I wondered if I had requested the same service and wiped my own mind clean of the event. Considering all that was at stake I had to admit I might have. Hell I had to admit I was unstable enough to have considered this because here I was doing it now. Did I find some sort of appeal in dying the same way Harry had? That was not a particularly comforting thought. Still I had to play my cards as I had dealt them at the moment but I promised myself if I somehow survived this night's events I was going to find someplace safe where I could start to put my life together once more so.

"No I don't expect you to fear me." I replied to his question. "Not even after I have sent two dozen or more of your kind, even one of your famed wizards, to sleep with the fishes." I wonder if they get cable reruns wherever the Fomor had been hanging out for the last few centuries. Based on his look The Godfather reference had gone over his head because he took another step toward me.

"What I do hope you have the sense to realize is that your precious case is wrapped in explosives and I am holding the detonator here…" I said displaying it for him to see. "…probably will not react well to all that magical power you have stored in your body that I can sense is leaking out of you. I am fairly certain you did not come here just to see your prize vaporized."

He considered my words carefully and with barely contained anger took back his last three steps to increase the distance between us and especially him and his wrapped prize. "Do no assume that merely because you have had some success over my kind in the past, and even overcame one of my apprentices who I admit suffered from an abundance of overconfidence that I shall be as easily dealt with. Wrapping the skull in explosives though deters me not. Its destruction serves my purpose just as well."

"Sure it would." I said calling his bluff. "I know you need it as payment to The Merchant." There is nothing more satisfying than the look of confusion on an enemy's face when they see you have pieced together their secret plans because it usually means you have your own way to counter them. "We are having enough problems with your kind here in the city as is. Bringing an Outsider to the party just is not going to happen so you can give up any thoughts of turning the skull over to him to become his new high priest."

Wow, that really struck him for a loop as his emotions registered all sorts of confusion, plotting, analysis, and finally insight. I guess he was trying to figure out how I had put it all together and having done so what I might have also put into place to stop his schemes.

My timing for such things of late has been great. No sooner had his calculations began to come to a close when sparking lights of purple, gold, and pink began to flash through the window behind me. Ms. Gard and the Viking had closed down the third access point as well. There was still little over an hour before the Fomor would make their attack so according to the plan that meant the third part of the army would not be converging on this location as well. All the eggs were being placed in one basket while Ms. Gard and her warriors would join the White Court strike teams to defend the tower. I could not help but smile at the wizard.

"I fear you are under serious misconceptions of our purpose. I was never your rival in this so I never intended to turn the skull over to him for power." He said in response. "My goal since learning of this item was merely to ensure that you did not make such a trade."

What? That made no sense. For what possible reason would I turn over Bob?

"Nice try." I said. "I have enough problems in my life with just your kind so I don't go seeking out even larger ones."

"Your own history shows that to be a lie." He said as if insulted and okay I _had_ crossed paths with a few pretty powerful beings but not by my choice. "I have no time for such petty games as your sponsor approaches for his payment. You have your failsafe." He said motioning toward the explosive rigged case. "Let me present you with my own."

Before I could respond he released a verbal call; the closest thing I could compare it to is whale song I guess. Within a few seconds another pair of Fomor warriors came through the door and stood beside the wizard. Between them was a prisoner bound, gagged, and beaten unconscious from the wounds visible on his body and the way his feet dragged on the floor.

"DANIEL!" I said recognizing him at once from the clothes he had been wearing when he'd left a few hours before. I could not see anything more than the mop of bloody hair on the top of his head but I could hear his ragged breathing telling me he was still alive at least.

The look of satisfaction on the wizard's face at my obvious emotional distress made me sure I wanted to see his Fomor ass dead soon. But I still had to think of my brother's safety first and foremost. That meant I had to not do anything too rash. Yeah, that is me. Molly the mentally balanced and rationale apprentice wizard.

"We found the spy trying to slink out of the building when we arrived and understood you were onto us, but with the meeting to be held here soon it was too late to change plans." The wizard said. "Had he not mentioned during his beating that you would kill us all, and by that we understood you knew him, he would be dead now."

I had to stay calm. Not just for Daniel's sake but because I was sitting next to high explosives and did not want any stray magic from me leaking out and causing unwanted havoc. Any havoc caused tonight was going to be intended.

I used another small portion of my power internally as a calming spell on my own emotions. Like I said there is no Law of Magic against a wizard manipulating their own mind and this was probably an excellent time to reach a state of Zen; alright I'd settle for not psycho. Once I was a little more calm I was able to turn my attention to the situation at hand.

"What is it you want?" I asked already knowing the answer but having to go through the motions anyway.

"Simple. I offer you him for the skull." He said motioning toward the bag at my side.

"No deal." I said immediately to the request I had expected. It is not that I did not love Daniel merely I could not let the wizard get his hands on Bob. "You will not be making any trades of the skull to finish your bomb." I replied trying to show him I knew enough to not be deceived so easily.

Once more his emotions showed confusion that seemed to slowly clear in his eyes. "I intend no trades for the skull. And the 'bomb' as you put it is already complete."

"If not payment then why do you need it?" I asked. "You Fomor do not strike me as the type to willingly serve other powers."

"You are correct, we are not." He said. "Humans on the other hand have no such moral convictions. YOU are the danger."

I could have taken the words to mean my kind, but I sensed he was talking specifically about me. "No way."

"When you achieved your early string of minor victories against our forces and your human associate killed one of my apprentices, I assigned another to learn what he could of all of you." He said showing his own knowledge of Karrin's kill when Will's wife Georgia had been captured during the early days of the Fomor invasion.

"My apprentice researched and even summoned those from the lower planes and they in turn told us many things about your friends and your allies; both the vampires and the Baron." The last was a reference to Marcone. "But most concerning is that we learned of your connection to The Merchant and his plans for you to become his high priestess. This we could not allow to occur."

Openly admitting to trafficking with those of the lower planes probably explained where the access to Hellstone originated from.

"Under the guise of a business transaction my apprentice and I met with this being to assess our concerns." The wizard continued. "We claimed to need a device that could store great quantities of magic and release it regularly at given times. From all our research we knew he had just such an item. Though it took time to gather his price we traded for this piece and have it in our device. It will easily take the magic from the ley line and each day after dawn release its power to restore our entropy spell over the city."

Great it sounded like a magic exploding alarm clock. "Let me guess he wanted Hellstone?" I said wanting to confirm my suspicions.

The wizard's eyes narrowed. "Yes, that was the most difficult item to acquire though the trade also required a few of our own magical artifacts as well."

I wondered what else it had cost him and if it were equally dangerous. Based upon what Ms. Gard had said about how hard it was to acquire Hellstone from dark denizens the fact that the trade required additional Fomor magic to reach a deal made the magic exploding alarm clock they traded for pretty dangerous just by itself.

"With our business completed he also mentioned that he would pay well if we were to acquire a certain skull for him that resided here in this city." The wizard continued. "He claimed to have a sentimental attachment to it as he was involved in its original creation many centuries ago. He promised to look favorably on whoever provided him with it. We ignored the subtle offer of assistance for we knew it was a thin veil for submitting to his will but now we understood how to stop him…and you."

I ignored the last part as my mind had been tripped up by an earlier statement made almost in passing. The Merchant had helped create Bob? Was that possible? The truth is I did not know. I think the better question was probably was such a thing impossible? I had to say that no it was not – not with everything I was learning.

"It took us no time to locate the skull, however we found out it was guarded by that flying woman therefore we could not get close enough to acquire it as she was too vigilant." Flying woman? Ms. Gard? What does he mean that she was protecting the skull? What the hell was going on here? "Instead I assigned my apprentice to watch this location and recover the object if the opportunity permitted. Knowing that you were the other part of this concern he was authorized to destroy you as well if you made an appearance. He however failed and you recovered the skull."

Well that explained why there was a Fomor team hanging outside the medical examiner's building. Even though I had not come to get Bob, that plan to take me down would have worked too except for Crystal's timely rescue. I tried to put these new pieces of information into my existing picture of events. It was like thinking you have put together a jigsaw puzzle of a clown's face only to learn that all you really had was a clown tattoo on the arm of someone in a much bigger puzzle.

"Time is now short." The wizard said impatiently. "You will hand me the skull in exchange for you accomplice or you can kill us all here and now and still achieve my purpose." He started stepping toward me. "If she calls on any of her magic kill the prisoner." He said in English making sure I understood the order not just his troops.

Dammit I needed to buy time and he was not allowing me to as I reached for the toggle switch. Even with everything at stake I also did not want to blow this place up as it meant taking my brother with me. I raised my hand but the wizard showed no signs of being intimidated by my actions. He was not bluffing with the realization that for the Fomor this would still be a victory. That is the problem with hive mentality; they don't have a personal survival instinct or desire to self promote. His look of determination turned even more predatory as he stepped up to just one step outside of my reach.

I registered the red dot that appeared on his forehead just a millisecond before his eyes flicked to the window and his mouth opened in surprise at seeing the laser sight now too. There was a sound of breaking glass as something whizzed past my left ear and then the wizards head exploded sending its insides back toward the wall, door, and those standing behind in a spray or gore. Only after this visual display did my hearing register the gunshot that had caused all this destruction.

He went down and I began to rise still holding the detonator but wanting to take this moment of shock to rescue my brother. The Fomor warriors though had their orders and even with their leader's blood covering the, began drawing their wickedly curved knives to cut Daniel's throat.

They would have succeeded too if not for the nearly invisible figure that rose to stand silently behind them and then with a roar to stun the pair it jammed a paw into each of the pair's back, lifting their struggling bodies from the floor as they dropped my brother in response. The creature behind then crushed their spines and flung them to each side of the room to die.

I stood staring at creature before me. It was lean muscle beneath white spotted fur and now blood soaked claws. But it was the intensity of the eyes, the jade green eyes, that gave me the most pause. One of those orbs winked at me and a moment later the creature was gone and in its place stood Madame Yukihyou.

Unlike other shapeshifters somehow her clothes had transformed right along with her body and she now wore the same kimono as I had seen her wearing at the party earlier. Her eyes drifted past me and to the window and I turned to follow her look as a valkyrie with a sniper rifle flew in the same shattered window she had shot through.

"You?" I asked suddenly confused. Sure I might have remotely expected Ms. Gard to have made such an appearance but what I was dealing with now was a complete surprise. "Crystal, you are a valkyrie?" I asked stating the obvious because it is not like just everyone these days had a pair of eagle's wings that sprouted from their shoulders.

"My name is Geirdriful actually." She replied with an embarrassed smile at her deception. After Harry had told me about Ms. Gard and Monoc security I had done a little research on the subject of valkyries and found there were over thirty of these beings named in Norse mythology. Geirdriful was one of those names I was familiar with.

"Geirdriful." I repeated. "Aren't you commonly called the spear thrower?" I asked wanting confirmation of my memory.

"In elder times I was called that for my accuracy of toss with such weapons." She confirmed. "Personally I find this modern variant just as appealing with much better range." She held the high tech sniper rifle up for my examination."

"But why…" Okay my brain was taking a little bit to catch up. I started to wonder if maybe I had lost my mind and was trapped inside of some strange dream.

"I was assigned by my employer to provide protection of the skull." She explained.

"That would be Monoc securities?" I offered and she nodded.

"To do so I had to remain close to where it was stored. At first I did this from a distance through Wizard Dresden's associate. Once the wizard died and its protection was placed in jeopardy my role became ever more critical." She continued. "Therefore I had to attach myself to the one who held it to ensure it protection."

'Attached' being the oddly appropriate word here and I shuddered to think about it. I mean it made sense. By becoming Butter's lover who was Bob's guardian she could watch the pair of them at work and at home without the medical examiner realizing what was going on. Only when he took the skull out to meetings at Karrin's would she be unable to stay with it. All in all it was a pretty good plan, though it left me confused on some aspects.

"How is it I never sensed your power?" I asked. Let's be honest I am pretty savvy in this area.

"You are not the first of your kind I have had dealings with and needed to disguise my identity." I assume when using 'of my kind' she was referring to sensitive wizards. "In your specific case I found that by immediately changing the subject to graphic sex you were embarrassed and tended to shut down your senses to avoid registering anything about me. After the first few times you were shutting down before you even got close enough to give me a hug."

Wow that was true…devious certainly as well…but true. "How come Bob did not tell Butters?"

"The skull was rarely in my presence to make such an assessment either. Butters worked hard to keep us from the same rooms." She responded. "On the few exceptions to this rule let's say the activities taking place were such that the skull's focus was not on what I was but rather what I was doing." Okay I really did not want to have to relive any of those discussions in my mind so I turned the conversation another way. See she could still manipulate me in this way!

"So your relationship was a lie?" I asked.

"I am afraid that is an accurate assessment." She said looking down in embarrassment. Then she lifted her head just enough to look my way and smile. "That is not to say it wasn't fun. I do have a greater appreciation for polka now. I am certain Butters will not begrudge our time together much. But my mission to protect the skull is far more important."

"And the reason you appear here now and blow your cover is…?" I asked the most important question.

She looked over at Madame Yukihyou, not as a threat, though there was an honest acknowledgement between the two of each other's powers, but rather as an unexpected complication. I had to say that she was not the only one feeling this way at present.

"I cannot say…" She said evoking very similar awkward emotions I had felt in others when they were sworn to secrecy. I turned to Madame Yukihyou who was calmly awaiting my attention.

"You did not come here to Chicago solely for a debt of honor you have for your grandson did you?" I asked and immediately felt the same type of evasiveness.

"Not solely." She said. "But like this one…" She nodded toward Crystal. "…it is an issue that I may not speak of freely."

Yeah, talk about complicated. I was pretty sure now at least I understood what all the outside players were here for but the problem was if we stuck to the rules as they had been designed we were all going to fail from a lack of trust. I am certain that was how The Merchant had torn apart out alliance here in the city. I was not going to let him achieve the same result here with the three of us if I had the chance to prevent it. And hey let's be honest, I have been known to bend rules if I have to.

"Oblivion." I said violating my promise to Thomas and Lara. As I figured it the word was only dangerous at this moment if you were either on the inside of the organization or one of those beings the group fought against. Any other situation would likely require research and to be honest we had a better than equal chance of all being dead soon.

While both of these women were almost older than history itself, that did not stop either of them for opening their eyes in shock at the pronouncement of this word they had not expected to her; and especially not expected from a cute and perky wizard apprentice.

"You?" Madame Yukihyou spoke first.

"You?" Crystal/Geirdriful followed suit also looking at me.

"Me…though I just joined this particular club." I said leaving both of them confused. "I assumed the two of you were members because that is the only answer that makes any sense as to your true purposes here."

The look of confusion on the valkyrie's face was almost worth the looks she had put on mine with rather intimate details that I did not care to have experienced. I guess having someone catch on like I did was rare. Who'd have known? I guess I needed to explain.

"The only reason Monoc Security would have put a guard on Bob is because they knew The Merchant or someone equally dangerous was interested and therefore they had to know what The Merchant represented." I said. "By the same token Madame Yukihyou just confirmed her reason for being here was greater than merely family loyalty. Once again that makes it a pretty safe bet what ranks higher. My question is how long have I been the goat tied with the rope to draw in the lion?" I asked showing that I fully realized now that there was a deeper game in play.

It was Madame Yukihyou who responded as Crystal still seemed uncertain of how much she could divulge. "After your dealings with the Pagan Goddess another of our agents posted that The Merchant had demonstrated interest in you and so we should take this into consideration. As with all such things we were forced to watch and wait to see if he would make a move and come out of hiding."

"That event was posted?" I asked with surprise. "Ar you saying we have a webpage?"

"Not in that specific sense, though there is a similar established means for sharing hunting data among our organization that remains anonymous." Crystal offered. "Your sponsor should have shown this to you."

"We have been rather pressed for time." I said and then added to it. "And I am not sure they expect me to live so why waste the effort on full membership when a day pass was all I required?"

That left Madame Yukihyou silent so Crystal added some additional details. "Upon learning of this being's interest in you we watched from a distance as you said. I assume The Merchant avoided you initially because you master had demonstrated a unique tendency of screwing with the plans of beings with more power and he wanted to avoid his unwanted attention. My own orders were to stay clear of Wizard Dresden as well which is why I made it a point to never be around when your master came to call on Butters." She said. Unlike me Harry probably would have picked up on her deception right away because he was not overly sensitive to other peoples' sex lives.

"Okay so Harry gets killed and The Merchant decides now is the time to come after me?" I assumed.

"That is a possibility but I believe your recent association with the Winter Court also worked to keep him working from the shadows. The Outsiders have a long standing battle with Winter and those few that make their way to our side of the gates do their best to avoid drawing their particular attention when they can." That was an interesting detail The Gatekeeper had not mentioned. I wondered if my association with Lea made that something he chose not to share but to instead let them educate me on. It made sense. He most likely assumed that my sponsor had been the Winter Court.

I could speculate later if I lived. Time was short and I needed as many details as possible. "What changed all of a sudden?" I asked. "Why come for me now after all this time?"

"Something big is underway here in your city." Madame Yukihyou responded this time. "I do not know what the purpose but I sense that great magic is being wrought near here and that events of grand consequence shall soon come to pass."

"Is it the Fomor's bomb?" I asked and gave just a little highlight of what I had learned from the spy's notes.

"Perhaps that is it but I feel the power is already building whereas you claim the weapon has not even been set in place yet to gather its magic." Madame Yukihyou replied. "In truth I do not know what it could be and I fear not knowing the most."

"Margaret?" I asked.

"Now that she mentions it Molly I think the magical power around Chicago is indeed increasing." She responded. "It feels greater than a year ago when I first became use to your senses. I had not noticed because the power increased slowly over time and you have been kept rather busy."

"Can you sense if it is dangerous?" I asked.

"It's magic Molly so it is inherently dangerous." She said. "However, it is not the bomb. The magic is stronger to the east not to the west where the Sears Tower lies nor beneath us. That is all I can tell you for now."

"Okay that goes into the 'to do' pile for investigation if we happen to live through this night." I said. "Do not let me forget to check it out." I could feel her mental nod and I turned my full attention back to the pair standing with me and especially the Snow Leopard.

"So how did you get involved in all this?" I asked her.

"I was tracking The Merchants actions through other means as he passed through my territory though never seemed to make contact with anyone." She said. "After word reached me of your master's death his actions changed. I began observing his hiring of mercenaries throughout Asia and then ordering them to this location. From that I could only assume that his plans regarding you were likely in the works."

"So you notified Marcone about the hired muscle." I reasoned.

"Yes." She agreed. "As business partners we share such information on occasion and by my informing him I also obligated him to provide anything he uncovered of their purpose. At first he knew nothing when I informed him. He did however devise a plan to get an agent on the inside to see what he could learn." That would be Marcone's spy.

"I thought he was spying on the Fomor." I said.

"So did he for the mercenaries had orders to put themselves in service to the Fomor." She answered. "They were a supposed gift to the Fomor wizard as a means for The Merchant to monitor their progress."

"Until the White Court traitor found out about the spy and sold him out and then killed him." I added.

"Yes." She answered. "The spy put the Fomor wizard's operation in jeopardy even though he had been eliminated. Because of this the mercenaries were sent away as they could no longer be trusted. Not one to waste valuable resources The Merchant put them to use."

"For things like killing Marcone." I said. "Or clearing up any other loose ends."

"Exactly." Madame Yukihyou replied. "I am only glad I was there to stop them when they attacked the two of you." She added making me remember the feline shape that had taken down those in the moving truck with the Gatling gun. She had probably saved our lives by getting involved. But thinking of that added a new question.

"Speaking of, what was with the lust spell?" I asked rather confused by that still.

"Ah yes, that." She laughed. "You are familiar with the similar effect that those of the White Court are capable of?" I nodded and motioned for her to continue as time was of the essence. "There are seven such base desires, lust being just one. We of the Jade Court can call upon each, though the day of the week dictates which one responds to that call."

"You can inflict the Seven Deadly Sins on others?" I asked suddenly putting the pieces together. "That means it was YOU who made everyone at Karrin's house suddenly ravenous?" I suddenly remembered the white cat at that location as well.

"We do not call them sins so much as desires but that term is adequate." She nodded. "And yes it was my spell of hunger or gluttony if you will that I was forced to cast when your wolf on guard happened to literally catch wind and then sight of me."

Wow there was so much more I wanted to ask but I was really being pressed for time. This was magic right up my alley. "Okay, I certainly do not fully understand all the moving parts yet but we are out of time. Who has a suggestion for what to do from this point out?" I asked looking at my companions for an idea better than what I had set up already.

"I must be honest and say I came with the intention to kill you if that was required to prevent The Merchant from using you. For some reason you remain the focal point in these events. Now that you are one of the Venatori, that leaves me unsure of what is the best course to pursue." Crystal said honestly. I wanted to be insulted but let's be fair from a valkyrie standpoint the straightforward solution of killing me was probably the easiest and most efficient. "At a minimum The Merchant cannot be allowed to acquire the skull for whatever purpose he seeks it."

Madame Yukihyou cocked an ear obviously hearing more than I could. "The mercenaries are on their way here from the surrounding buildings." She informed us. "It seems we will have to fight shortly." She did not have a tremendous amount of confidence in this announcement even though I had personally experienced her in action. As Oblivion War warriors they were prepared to do what they felt was necessary. I had a feeling both of them would hate what I had to offer instead.

"Crystal I want you to get my brother out of here." I said pointing to Daniel. "I have a plan to deal with this situation which is why my sponsor left me alive. I promise you the skull will not reach The Merchant's hands while I live and when Daniel wakes up he can explain it all to you."

That last part was added along with just a little emotional push of confidence to give her the reason not to fight but to save my brother. I'd feel better facing what was to come knowing he was safe. If Madame Yukihyou sensed my ploy on the valkyrie she did not say anything so I'm glad I had passed her test of my character.

Still Geirdriful was not so easily swayed from her assigned task. I needed one last push. "The Snow Leopard will stay close by to make sure I keep my oath." I said with a smile. "You can trust me that I know what I am talking about. I was not lying to you about the prowess of polka men now was I?"

She arched an eyebrow at me and then let out a laugh more common for a three hundred pound bearded Viking than any woman but knowing her reference point and choice of friends I was willing to overlook it. "It will be as you request." She nodded, gathered up my brother's unconscious body and flew back out through the window as graceful as a bird.

"I suspect you have some similar purpose for me to place me out of immediate danger?" Madame Yukihyou asked. Wow was I really becoming so much like Harry?

"Actually I need you to stay a little closer than that. By the laws of the White Council I am now allowed to kill anyone with magic." I explained. "Well I am not allowed to kill anyone _human_ with magic." I clarified and then gave a ten second overview of my final contingency plan.

"When you joined our secret ward you should have been informed that such rules do not apply to the Venatori." She responded in a neutral tone. "We must act in the best interest of all and even take other's lives when required, even lives of humans, to save the rest."

"Yeah, but you see being a member of the Venatori is not currently a legal defense against the White Council Wardens." I explained. "Besides I probably do not need to worry about that since you are here. What is your sin of the day?" I asked like requesting the soup specialty in a restaurant.

She answered me without hesitation. "That is perfect." In truth having seen the overriding effects of her spells any of the seven would probably work for my purposes though this one was probably tops. "Once they get here you need to handle that side of the issue so I am not distracted while dealing with their boss." I explained.

"You do not fear the effects for yourself?" She asked. "What of the danger of such a spell on your explosives?" She pointed to Bob's case as a reminder.

"On a personal level I resisted your lust and gluttony spells." I answered back. "I figure I can handle this one as well. As for the explosives, well if they go off the problem of my recruitment more or less solves itself." I tried not to focus on that part of it. Now was not the time.

"If you survive we will have to talk about how you accomplish this resistance of yours to my powers." She said not focusing on the negative side as much either.

"Only if we are both sharing secrets on a girl's night out and you promise to do my hair first." I said with a smile.

"It is a deal and I will do as you ask." She agreed and turned away from me toward the window as well.

"Oh and if there are any mercenaries still outside the building those are yours to take care of." I said and she nodded on last time; well one last time in human form.

She moved catlike, yeah very catlike as in transforming as she walked back into her snow leopard form. "They are here." She said with a growl and leapt through the window just ahead of the first of the dozen or so mercenaries who entered the room with their guns drawn, laser light lines glowing, and all soon pointing in my direction.

I gotta give them this, they were high end mercenaries. Instead of just opening fire at anything living they encountered they took in the entire situation first. The presence of the Fomor bodies, one missing most of its head, added a little anxiety to their emotions but the open presence of high explosives kept them from becoming trigger happy. I kept a shield spell at the top of my mind just in case.

I sat silently and said nothing to them, in part not to provoke those with guns pointed at me, but more so because what to come was between their boss and I therefore what little courage I had remaining needed to be rationed for the main event. They did not seem the type for small talk anyway.

At the strike of eleven on the nose I could hear his boots begin stomping toward me from a distance and immediately understood this was part of an intimidation game on his part. Sure he had all kinds of power. But unfortunately for him, compared to my mother whom I had lived with for nearly twenty years The Merchant had nothing new in this particular area. I smiled at this memory of my family and was comforted by it just as the magic wave hit.

Like her earlier spells I had experienced, Madame Yukihyou's magic washed over me and as she explained built upon existing desires we all harbor within. Thankfully I was protected by Margaret's resistance spell so I did not succumb. The mercenaries on the other hand were not so lucky. One by one their weapons rattled to the floor as they slumped over, not so much in sleep, but in a lethargy of inaction. The spell of the day was sloth.

The Merchant entered the room within seconds of the spell's attack, looking first to his downed employees and shaking his head, then settling his eyes on me. "For all of your entertainment value, you have proven to be a severe disappointment to me Apprentice Margaret Carpenter…" He said trying to match my mother's natural judgmental tones and still coming up short.

I would never have thought to backtalk her in one of her moods but in this case I really had little to lose so what the hell. "Take a number Barter, I am told I disappoint everyone…"


	21. Chapter 21

**Honor's Debt**

**_Tuesday After 11PM _**

**_Chapter 21_**

"So you recognize me Molly Carpenter?" The being before me asked as if he were rather disappointed at this fact. "You are not surprised at all by my appearance or even being here?"

That was a hard question to answer honestly in so much as I had worked out who I was up against this afternoon. However, to say that Barter's appearance did not at least shock me would have been a lie. He was not the distinguished and suave European gentleman I had observed on our previous meetings. I realized now that he had his own illusions for appearing in such a manner and that I had never taken the time to actually see the real Barter underneath.

Okay so how to describe him. H.P. Lovecraft, now recently revealed as the famous co-conspirator of The Gatekeeper it seems, had talked about beings remotely similar to Barter. It was not that he lacked the knowledge of how these things looked, I was now pretty sure that The Gatekeeper had shown him probably through the use of illusions, but rather that the normal words we would use to describe such things were really not applicable for what Outsiders looked like.

I will start by saying take a pale white worm, maybe like the fat slugs you find under rocks, but then add six appendage-like legs that were sort of similar to those of an insect plus a head that seemed shaped like a ten pound bag of potatoes. His casual posture balanced his body on the lower four of these legs, for lack of a better term, to stand six feet or so tall and under normal situations I could see that this quartet would move in unison like a horse if he walked or ran. The top two appendages, okay I will call them arms for convenience of reference, ended in a single wicked claw just as the other legs rather than any sort of digits and certainly did not have opposable thumbs so as far as Darwin was concerned humans were the more advanced. Perhaps Darwin and Lovecraft should have spent some time comparing notes.

The misshapen sack-like face had three evenly spaced large white orbs around his head, only one of which could look straight on at me at one time. I assumed these were eyes but the being also had no nose or ears to speak of so this was mostly a guess on my part. Barter also had a six inch or so protruding mouth that was sort of hose-like look in appearance if one were able to get past the rows of triangular shark's teeth that lined this orifice. It reminded me of the desert creature that ate Jabba the Hut only smaller. I'm also guessing that kissing was not a big activity from where Barter originated; that is not a judgment, just an observation.

So was I shocked? Yeah I was, because it was certainly not the human, or at least humanoid, I had dealt with previously. Picture learning your mom was really Hulk Hogan.

Was I scared? Ehhh no not really… Hollywood pretty much had worn out the freakiness aspects of the killer worm for humans when _Alien_ showed them explode from a living body. Six foot slugs were definitely gross and slimy, but not particularly scary. Of course this one also had the massive power of his magic at his disposal so I did respect him.

The weird thing, yeah I know it is all weird but try to keep up, was that a significant portion of Barter's body also seemed encased in some sort of translucent crystalline growth that had to hamper his movements somewhat. This is probably why he chose to give himself an aged appearance.

My sensitivity to magic flows also showed me that while Barter had vast quantities of his own power, much if not most of that was engaged in trying to beat back, or at least slow this crystalline growth. It had the sense of being a continuous magical battle. Again it is hard to describe but a way to visualize is picture Barter's magic as tiny pickaxes constantly beating on the rock made by a continuous flow of lava. Any slip or slowing by the axes and the flow moved just a little further forward. Fighting this endless advance to a standstill seemed the best he could do and even that took almost all of his energy.

"If you think I would be surprised to learn you were behind all this then again I guess I will have to disappoint you. You are about eight hours behind on my reaching that particular insight." I said purposely choosing to ignore the aspects of his question about how he looked. Hey who am I to judge? Besides that there is probably some anti-discrimination law out there somewhere making giant magical slugs a protected group under the Unseelie Accords or something. The last thing I needed was some sort of magical lawsuit filed against me. Everyone always says the worst lawyers should be condemned to Hell but they are not; they end up practice magic law in the afterlife.

"Really?" He said registering surprise. It was odd but my ability to sense emotions worked regardless of the type of being projecting them it seemed, even something as, dare I say, alien as Barter. "May I inquire as to what gave me away? I took significant precautions to ensure all my involvements in events pointed toward others."

"They did." I agreed. "However, you proved too smart for your own good actually."

"Do tell." Okay the fact that he still had that disturbingly charming European accent but it was coming from a shark-toothed, garden-hosed mouth was hard to look at directly while having an otherwise quite pleasant conversation.

"When we exchanged information back at the church you asked me about my plans." I said reminding him. "By that time I was getting used to my enemy out thinking my every move so when it started to happen again the next day it seemed just more of the same."

"Murphy's house being raided by the police was a perfect example of this. If I were fighting me I would want those guys sidelined or eliminated because like Marcone that success took away another resource for me to draw upon. The fact that I sensed Fomor magic at the scene and that the BART team detected biological weapons, which was also a Fomor trademark, seemed a sure sign that the enemy wizard was behind this event. I take it this, in addition to the Hellstone, was the Fomor magic you traded for the pocket watch?"

"Indeed." He said obviously impressed. I am not sure if the facial expression he offered was his version of a smile but his emotions read enjoyment. "I see someone has been putting her pieces together."

"I also thank you for not trying to purposely kill my friends." I said as well. "Obviously that option was open to you but you went for the more involved tactic instead.

"I merely understood that if I purposely hurt your friends the chance of us coming to an arrangement afterwards was unlikely." He explained.

"That is true." I agreed.

"The part where you slipped up was by sending the ghouls to intercept Lord Kline and Hisha." I pointed out. "There was no way the Fomor Wizard could have known I had called them even if he somehow had a file on who all my friends were. The fact that they came under immediate attack after that only could mean that you were involved; either you were working with him or you were behind the whole thing yourself and just playing both sides off against each other. I just had to determine which one but in truth the second option seemed more you style."

"Ah yes, that assignment of force was an unfortunately necessary calculated risk. In my defense the plan had been to capture or kill your friends without you learning of this until it was too late." Barter offered. "I cannot tell you how disappointed I am to learn that they not only escaped the ambush but also got a message to you informing you of it. I guess good help really is hard to come by these days." He said looking to the lethargic mercenaries lying around him as further evidence.

"I sympathize." I said sarcastically. "So are we up to the point where you try to negotiate with me or are you going to go straight to threatening my life or others?"

There was that emotional swagger of self confidence. "I like to pride myself on my ability to reach a profitable arrangement for all parties when I make a deal." He replied. "We have twenty minutes before the Fomor beneath this building and their compatriots elsewhere set off to the Sears Tower to place their bomb and enslave this city. I feel that is more than enough time for us to come to an acceptable agreement that allows you to swoop in and be the savior of your city."

"You may not have noticed but I wear rags lately not a Wonder Woman costume."

"Yes but regardless of your attire, and I do like the kimono, you still race about the city protecting its citizens from those that seek to do them harm magically." He said trying to be complementary. Pretty soon he was going to ask what did he have to do to get me to buy a car today.

"I am not that self-delusional or in need of praise; there are a lot of people working that angle beyond just me." I replied. "Speaking of which in case you have not been keeping up the Fomor's other two invasion points for tonight's events were shut down by some Vikings and vampires."

"Very adept my dear." He complimented me some more. "It is a worthy achievement; however those were just diversionary contingency groups anyway. The majority of the Fomor forces were to come from this location and I doubt any force of vampires and Vikings you could muster on such short notice will be able to stand against the hundreds of their kind waiting anxiously below to finish this war."

I quickly did the math. Let's see, a score or so of Vikings, maybe a similar number of vampires, against two hundred or so Fomor warriors with their natural resilience to most injuries. Yeah I had to admit that the odds were still in the bad guys' favor.

"Alright you made your point, now go ahead and make your sales pitch." I said. "You obviously thought and planned this out to create conditions to make the best deal possible. Let's just start by being honest and forthright with each other. What is it you want from me, and what are you willing to give me in return?"

"How uniquely refreshing no…what is that quaint term your kind likes to use…ah yes…no foreplay required." Now even the giant pale slug is making sex life references? This is so incredibly unfair!

"My want is incredibly simple." He said keeping the same distance he had though obviously more relaxed in his natural element of business negotiation. "I merely want your wizard's oath for forming an alliance between the two of us. With such I shall use my power in aid of your efforts and likewise you shall use yours to provide me assistance when I so request."

That was a simple one to begin to reject out of hand but he raised a hand…uuummm claw-like thing…to stop me from interrupting. "I will even stipulate that I shall never ask you to work directly against your family, friends, or even this city if you so desire." Okay I guess he had figured out the simplest reasons to reject such an offer showing he had spent time considering this and my likely reactions.

"Additionally or separately I would like to acquire a certain skull that I have on good information is currently in your possession." He said with a bit of annoyance. "With my plans it would have been simplicity itself to trade a wayward police officer in need of money for it once they had taken possession today but instead of that coming to pass that idiot vampire stole it and then compounded his stupidity by losing it to you shortly after." He seemed unsure. "I take it that my information was correct and you still have it?"

I motioned to the explosive wrapped case sitting next to me and I could sense his emotions change to immediate desire. I tempered this instinct in him by lifting it up and without letting its weight go, balancing the case on the toggle switch for detonating the explosives. That way if anything happened to me and I let go of the case, its own weight would flip the switch for me.

"I take it you understand that magic or not the amount of explosives wrapped around this case will completely destroy the contents if they go off, on purpose if I choose, or even by accident because of any magical bursts of energy sent my direction." I do not do subtle well when making deals like this.

That calmed him down a bit back to his more normal type of readings. "As I said I like to pride myself on making profitable arrangements for all parties involved." Yeah with his plans literally in the balance, he pushed the option of making a grab and dash with the skull a backup contingency.

"Said the Devil to Doctor Faust." I replied dryly.

"I resent that history portrays me as a devil for that." Barter seemed insulted. "And he was a wizard not a doctor, but I guess since audience members were burning and drowning witches when that play was written it only makes sense to call him a doctor instead."

Yeah that is another one of those little tidbits of history that I just did not know how to respond to so I decided to change the subject since I still had time. "There is one thing I would like to know." He cocked his head moving another orb on his head a little closer in my direction as an encouragement to continue. "Why offer me this deal?" I asked. "Why out of the billions of people on this planet am I so special to deserve this unique opportunity?"

"I only wish that I had such a vast array of customers to choose from but unfortunately I require elite clientele." There was that European charm again. Without specific words he was telling me I was 'special' and this was supposed to make me more receptive in the end to his offer. We all like feeling special, right? Yeah I was so immune to that approach. You live a year on the streets fighting a running battle of life and death and then tell me how special you feel.

"As you surmise my kind is not from this plane of existence." He said by way of an introduction. I had thought he would simply go with 'world' but no he had to crank it up a notch to make me feel real small and therefore in the long run even more important to him.

"I will not lie. It is the desire of many of my kind to come here, however there are those on your side who prevent us from doing so. Therefore the paths come either through sneaking past these vigilant guardians of having someone of this side open a pathway to grant us access. This second method was responsible for my own arrival on your world." He explained without answering.

"I get it you need a wizard to open the door just as I need to be invited over a threshold, but once on this side why does it matter?" I asked to get to the heart of the matter. I had time but not endless amounts of it.

"Ah that is an apt analogy upon which to build." Barter replied. "Let's say that instead of being welcomed to enter freely the owner of the home says you were welcome inside only as long as you hopped on one foot." I am not sure that was magically viable but I understood the concept. There were, however, rules of behavior for both guests and hosts even under invitation so maybe this was not as farfetched as it seemed.

"So your invitation is contingent upon a wizard's conditions at the time of the summoning." I said making the connection.

"It is slightly more complicated than that but for reference that will do." He said. "The terms of our invitation were that we would serve those who called us forth in exchange for our freedom to interact on your world. However, that contract fell apart almost immediately and I had to immediately seek an alternative arrangement. Those with me and I instead all agreed to all serve one single master temporarily teaching him secrets of magic in exchange for his introduction to new wizard partners with which to fulfill our original bargains. The one we made this arrangement with though eventually betrayed and turned on us once he had achieved the power he desired. He then turned this power toward the goal of hunting down each of us and slaying those we had partnered in bargain with."

"Are you speaking of Rashid The Gatekeeper?" I asked thinking this story was too similar to be coincidence.

Barter's emotions went very dark and cold at the mention of his name. "That is only the name he uses at present, but yes he is the one who betrayed our agreement." I have a feeling that he would probably describe it as protecting mankind, but I was not going to point that out.

"Why would he go after your wizard partner?" I asked. "Why not just come after you?"

"That is because he does not have the power to strike us directly." Barter replied. "Instead he seeks to invoke the terms of the contract for our summoning. If we are not bound in service to a wizard then our freedom here is, after a designated period of time, revoked." He said.

"You get sent back to the Outer Gates?" I asked.

"No." Barter replied. "We are instead imprisoned and eternally denied the liberty to act in our own interests." He shuffled slightly and uncomfortably but said nothing else.

A burst of insight struck me again. "The crystal?" I asked. "The spell that summoned you imprisons you in crystal if you do not bind yourself to a mortal wizard?"

"Yes that was our conditions." Barter replied less than pleased by this arrangement. "For others from beyond the Gates it is when the terms of their contract are fulfilled."

The way he said that purposefully evoked a memory in me. "Are you saying when I fulfilled Nerthsus's contract that she was sent to this prison you speak of and not back to the Outer Gates?"

"She was indeed."

Wow. Well so much for worrying about a pagan goddess coming after me. "I still think you have the wrong girl." I said. "You have way more magic at your disposal that I do and still the crystals are advancing. I don't think there is anything I could do to slow them, much less stop them."

"It is not your magic that would free me from this prison." He said. "It is your faith in our contract." That made sense. It was the faith that the Nazi's had placed in Nerthsus to be the mother of their own demigod that allowed her to manifest for the duration of her contract; at least that was what The Merlin had explained to me. Any deal he made with a wizard would probably reset his prison clock.

"So that I am clear, for a few centuries now you have been hopping from wizard to wizard and avoiding The Gatekeeper while he hunted down and sent your friends off to prison." I asked.

"His pursuit has been more haphazard than dogged and for my part I have not only been hiding but I have also been seeking other means to change this curse I live under as well." Barter explained.

"Such as?"

"The skull I seek for example." He said. "I helped teach its creator, my partner at the time, the magic required to trap and contain a being of knowledge to expand his magical understanding. In exchange he was to have this being work through a process by which my contract might be modified. Such was a benefit to us both."

That made sense. This was just the type of mental exercise that Bob had been created for. "So what happened? Did he fail?"

"No, he succeeded though only after many decades of research." Barter replied confusing me. "Or so I was informed by the wizard's apprentice who had been sent to seek me out and tell me of this success. On our return trip however the crystals that you see soon began to grow on my body telling me without words that my partner had met his final fate; it was at the hands of The Gatekeeper I later learned." Yeah there was certainly a lot of bad blood boiling there.

"Thankfully the apprentice and I were able to come to a mutually beneficial association once he learned that Rashid had placed a bounty on his head as well." Barter continued. "The skull unfortunately I lost track of and assumed it had become some discarded museum artifact of the White Council."

"That still does not get down to the 'why me' aspect of my question." I pointed out. I guess my association toward Bob may explain some of that but he could just as easily stolen the skull sometime in the future by working with someone more powerful than a mere apprentice.

"I have indeed survived many centuries but as you see through my explanation it is a tenuous existence." Barter continued. "The Red Shirts that you so aptly destroyed were my associates for a time until Nerthsus made it clear she brooked no competition for her worshipers. Instead of imprisonment I fled her sight. Since then I have been resigned to dregs of the wizard community who live on the fringes of the White Council's attention. I gained some small reprieve during you war with the Red Court as the Council had more on its plate fighting vampires than it had available for hunting down outcasts."

"Yeah I was one of those outcasts then and they had no trouble during the war bringing me to trial." I pointed out to counter his assertion.

"You were a special case in that Harry Dresden made many enemies, started that particular war in fact, and they looked at hurting him through you." Barter said demonstrating far more knowledge of the working of the White Council than I was comfortable with. It also meant he was well versed on my history obviously doing his homework before making this offer.

"So I am still at the 'why me' part of my question." I asked for the third time. "If you survived on the fringes why not continue.

"Because you master performed the impossible and destroyed Red Court." Barter said with a mix of admiration and outright hostility. "That action freed the Fomor to once more make their play for this world and they started by attacking these same fringes as you call it. I can do much, but I cannot prevent humans from being stupid rather than hiding when they should. My last partner took that failing on my part to an extreme and was destroyed for it."

"That in turn left you without a sponsor once again." I reasoned and he nodded his slug-like head. "Surely you maintained other options than just me?" I asked knowing in his place I would.

Again he nodded. "Scattered around the globe. Unfortunately the Fomor have been very good at rounding them up or scaring the remainder who they did not capture or kill into the arms of the White Council for protection. Any such association I might still make with them would be incredibly short lived."

"Unless you missed the news I am a member of the White Council as well." I pointed out.

"As you said let us be honest. You are merely an apprentice with a standing execution order on her head." Barter replied. "When the White Council has a moment to breathe and remember you are still alive they will come looking to fulfill that order. But I could take you places that are safe, help show you how to protect yourself from their detection, and finally teach you magic strong enough that they will not come for you or regret their actions if they did."

I will give him this much he knew his sales and how to offer just what the customer was looking for. Or at least he got in the ballpark. "Your plan sounds like it requires me to leave Chicago." I said hesitantly. "That would mean turning over its defense to others. It would also mean I would not be here to protect my friends and family."

"No, if you wished to stay close that could be arranged, though for your own protection I would continue to distance yourselves from those you care about unless you want to see them used against you." He said. That was a terrible thought but in truth not much different than what the White Council could do today, hell probably _would_ do if Wardens like Leigh Lee had the authority to make such decisions.

"You say all that it takes for me to release you from these crystals is to accept this offered deal with you." I change the subject because the other aspect of the conversation was a bit too disconcerting to continue to focus upon. "Why would I not just allow you to be imprisoned and keep this offer between us as my 'in case of emergency break glass' option? For that matter why couldn't any one of these mercenaries do the same?" I had to know how much of a danger their lives posed.

"As I stated they may have knowledge of me but it takes a wizard's oath for me to remain free." Unfortunately for the mercenaries that really was still not a reprieve. I may be the most junior Venatori but even I understood that while the mercenaries may not be able to call Barter forth because they did not have any magical ability themselves, that did not mean they couldn't tell someone with such an ability and possibly achieve this same goal. The Oblivion War was aptly named in that the only way to contain the Outsiders was to consign the knowledge of them individually to oblivion, or as close to that state as was possible.

"That said I believe it is as you suspect that your mere knowledge of me could free me at any point however there are two major reasons why this is not a terribly good plan for you or I." He focused on the second half of my question and was becoming slightly more annoyed in his emotions. "First is the fact that doing so means you rejected my current generous offer to deal with you fairly here and now. Few successful partnerships grow in such poisoned soil." He said as an outward threat that betrayal begets betrayal.

"Second, let us suppose you master Harry Dresden had maintained some sort of contingency plan like this." Barter asked twisting the knife. "Do you think it would have stopped him from being killed when he did not even know someone was coming for him? We cannot predict the future so waiting until the last moment to buy insurance is not particularly bright."

Of all the ways that Barter could have used to sell me on this idea of a partnership, and I admit there was an inherent temptation to his offer to counter the threat of the White Council, bringing up Harry's memory with me had been a mistake. Harry destroyed himself to prevent from becoming a monster and endangering those around him. He had done it for me. Okay he had not done it solely for me, but I had been one of the innumerable people that had led him to making this decision.

I hated him for it. Don't ever let me try to tell you otherwise. It was the worst decision he could have made and worse still was that he needed me to help him pull it off. I hated him for that too. But it did not mean I did not respect him for making what he thought was the best decision for us all rather than just himself. And sitting here with a case wrapped in high explosives in my hand I really think I understood it all too clearly.

I smiled. "So let me get this straight. I grant you your freedom and all you offer me is magic that I might or might not learn on my own over time already?" I asked and then had another thought. "Oh and by accepting your offer I also make an instant enemy out of The Gatekeeper, one of the strongest wizards on Earth? This is really the best you have to offer?"

"Magic and knowledge should not be so easily dismissed." He said flatly.

"Knowledge? Really? Do you mind if I test that?" I asked and registered his immediate confusion. "There is this older song by Carly Simon called 'You're so Vain…'" I did not wait for him to acknowledge knowing of it but pushed my lever right up to full snark since I was pissed he had thrown Harry's death in my face again. "…you know in that song she spends numerous verses talking about this mystery guy and his extraordinary life going to parties, betting on horses, and even chartering planes with friends to go see eclipses. What I really want to know though is in the chorus she sings 'You're so vain…you probably think this song is about you…' but she just told the guy's whole life story. I mean what the hell? If the song is _not_ about him them what the heck is it about? And if it is about him, why is he vain to realize that she is singing about him?"

Up until that point if you had told me that a giant six foot slug with six limbs, bug eyes, and a shark tooth filled mouth could look totally baffled I probably would not have believed you. Okay to be fair if you had described such a creature I would have probably asked you if you had taken your prescribed medication today. But still for all his centuries of knowledge not to mention whatever passes for trivia in the Outer Gates version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Barter was stunned into silence by my rant.

And on the other side I figured if he could not handle music trivia why would I trust him to teach me magic?

"You are mocking me?" He said stunned.

"You don't have that beyond the Outer Gates?" I asked laughing. "Then let's just leave it at no deal. Oh and by the way you know my friends that your ghouls tried to kill, well they are in Athens now being assisted by The Gatekeeper cleaning up all those outside this room you have had dealings with. That means with these boys all in post-Thanksgiving day food-like lethargy it comes down to just you and I sweetheart." I laughed at him and winked once more.

Okay he could move a whole lot faster than I gave him credit for because in retrospect the wink had been a mistake. I mean I guess the whole crystal coating made me think he had been slowed but I guess that assumption was taken from the context of how it would affect humans. Imprisonment of Outsiders must involve a much thicker layer that what was on him at present.

Before I registered his movement and could release the case his hand…oh yeah claw-like appendages… on his arms had me around the throat while the second pair down grabbed Bob's case and kept it from setting off the detonator. I let go of it, like I said too late to blow it up, and instead used my hands to try beating on the insect arms that were stopping my breathing.

Why was it that everyone had this desire to choke me lately? I really enjoy being able to breathe, in fact I have grown quite fond of it in my two plus decades.

He pushed one string of explosives that wrapped over the lid of the case to the side and tore the cover revealing Daniel's safety helmet looking back at him; that is if helmets can look back at people. What is important here is that it was a dead sized piece of safety plastic and not Bob the skull looking back at us from the case.

I am happy to report that this revelation had not come as a surprise to me. In fact it was exactly what I had asked Daniel to do when I sent him to get his toolbox this afternoon. I figured whoever was behind these events and wanted the skull probably knew Bob's carrying case by sight therefore I had Daniel transfer him to his steel toolbox where he would remain undetected and instead wire up the carrying case containing his helmet.

For her piece of mind once Crystal woke my brother he would show her the skull was indeed safe and between the two of them they would ensure it made it back to Butters. I had kept it out of Barter's hands leaving him no other options but to deal with me if he wanted to escape his imprisonment. Of course he would have to come to that realization first since I could not speak at the moment.

"What have you done with it?" He shook me not so much like a rag doll but more like one of those boxer's heavy bags in a gym suspended on a chain. My feet were also elevated off the floor to a point where I could not reach the detonator even with my foot extended.

The fact that I did not answer his question to me only led him to believe I was being obstinate. It was not until I began to turn blue, spots started flashing before my eyes, and my arms eventually drooped to my sides that he realized I could not answer him even if I had wanted to without air. The pressure on my neck released ever so slightly and a cool fresh trickle of air reached my lungs once more.

"What have you done with it Molly?" He said slightly more in control than a moment ago but still deadly serious.

"I sent it beyond your reach." I answered with gasps and starts. "Now you have to deal just with me." Those words came out in one and two word combinations as he did not allow me the air to complete a full sentence of more words than that.

He paused to consider my answer and his resolution grew firm as did his grip ever so slightly, still allowing me to breathe and speak but leaving no doubt that this privilege was strictly by his leave. I raised my hands to his arms trying to pry them from my neck but I would have been equally proficient at trying to bend steel bars. Yeah me…Wonder Woman…right!

"You place this entire city in jeopardy Molly." He said. "In less than five minutes the Fomor will leave here. In an hour they will have set off their bomb. All of those lives destroyed from that moment on will be on your head." I can't believe he was trying a humanitarian argument for compassion while also choking me.

"On my head?" I gasped and coughed trying to have enough breath for three words. That was stretching it and failing.

He merely nodded again that this would all be my fault. Millions of lives lost because of Apprentice Margaret Carpenter's actions.

"This head?" I said moving my hands that had failed to provide any significant challenge to his strength to instead point at myself to ensure I understood what he was saying. Two words were also still a stretch to complete based upon the air he allowed me.

"Yes that head." He said again like a stern and scolding parent. "Accept my offer this instant and let us right this mess you have created. Do you swear by your wizard's oath to partner with me?" He paused in silence after placing the offer before me in such a way that I need only speak a single word which was all the air he was allowing me to have.

I had no choice. I wanted another choice, prayed for another choice, but my time had literally run out. I think I truly understood what Harry felt like before making his deal with Mab.

I yanked the chopsticks from my hair and stabbed them into Barter's forearms screaming a single word. "Forzare!"

As I have said numerous times my magical power for such spells is nowhere near Harry's however life and death situations does push me a bit, and focusing all that force through the small tips of two chopsticks funneled what power I did have at this incredibly close range even better than my wands would have. If the helmet was an unhappy surprise one for Barter, I guess this was an equally bad surprise two.

Barter was strong but the concentrated force spell was stronger, tearing his hands from my throat, taking a layer or two of my skin along, and leaving me free for gravity to drop right to the floor at his feet. I grabbed for the detonator, a little afraid that after my magic and realizing it had still not gone off making me wonder if I had shorted it out so that it never would work. That would be bad because the rest of my big plan, my surprise number three, relied on this thing working.

You see the flaw in the Fomor wizard's plan was that by using an abandoned building as his army's staging point he had inadvertently also put them in the basement of a building Daniel and his team had wired up to detonate in the coming days in a controlled explosion so Marcone could put up a new skyscraper or mall. Once Daniel and I realized this opportunity from the spy's map we knew his job was to make sure both the building and the fake skull were ready to explode while my job was to try and get my allies to close the other invasion points so that those remaining Fomor would come here also.

Daniel of course was not excited with the prospects of me blowing myself up and I did promise him to try and prevent that if at all possible. At the time though I realized that with what I knew of the Oblivion War that may not be possible. I doubted that even such an explosion and dropping a building on Barter would kill him outright. Seeing his condition now I figured the best I could hope for would be his imprisonment coming to pass as he dug himself out. But if he were right, then if I chose to escape as long as I lived I could still free him to cause more havoc in the future. I was the weak point.

When I explained this to The Gatekeeper he had seemed shocked that I not only understood these implications, but that I also accepted I did not have his strength to ensure I never used this power. I fear becoming too powerful because I realize that I am not strong enough to control it. Harry was the most controlled person I know beyond my father and power of the level Mab offered scared him enough to set up a plan to kill himself.

The amount of power that Barter offered me in service or to teach me did not scare me. It tempted me to claim it as my own. It was that temptation that scared me.

I flipped the toggle switch that Daniel told me would have a ten second delay to allow me to at least jump free through the window if no other option were possible. I never even attempted to rise up from my knees where I had fallen. Instead my last conscious act was that I dropped the toggle switch and grabbed my Rosary Beads and wooden cross to pray for those I left behind.

Some people who claim to have near death experiences have said as they came upon death a bright doorway to heaven opened before them that seemed to beckon them forward. A smaller number who attempted suicide and survived have claimed that instead of a passageway of light their last memory was of hands reaching for their body as demons tried pulling them down toward Hell for their sins.

If you want a last demonstration of how screwed up my mind was, in my final seconds I experienced both…


	22. Chapter 22

**Honor's Debt**

**_Wednesday I Think– Ummm Sometime or Other _**

**_Chapter 22_**

I opened my eyes to find the side of my head resting on something soft, and warm, and strong while a delicate hand casually brushed the hair from my face. The action was something expected of a caring parent, parent figure, or even lover. As I did not have that third category and was pretty sure the first was impossible I was ready to settle for the second. I was mentally placing the majority of my bet on Lea though the Snow Leopard was not outside the realm of possibility either I figured.

Instead it was a twenty foot long or so lion, one with a human face, and therefore one I did not know. Only one thing kept me from jumping up and screaming, well actually there were a few things to be fair. The first was a splitting headache in the back of my skull that made me nauseous just thinking of moving rapidly. Second there was this golden paw that was bigger than my head occasionally moving one of my stray hairs from my face with a rare sense of delicacy. And last there was just this sense of rightness about this place that did not make me fear becoming the main course on the menu at any time in the immediate future. Since I had expected to be dead I decided I would worry about the 'later future' once I got my bearings and figured out while I was still alive at the moment.

"Where?" I tried speaking and croaked realizing I was completely parched and it was really, really warm here. Wow, did that mean I had gone to the hotter place in the afterlife? I do not recall Dante speaking of cats combing a sinner's hair as any particular punishment in his Inferno. Heck I knew of people who would actively seeking this type of eternity if word got out.

He slowly placed a cup in my hands, how he manipulated it with the giant paws I have no idea, but the chill and beads of water on its sides told me the water within was fresh and ice cold. It also tasted really good though I knew now there was no way I was dead. It is a standing rule that you can't get ice water in Hell…ba dum bump!

I finished the water feeling slightly more refreshed. He carefully took the cup away and I took this opportunity to slowly sit up as the room began spinning a bit in time with my movements. "Be careful." The sphinx growled in concern. "I believe you have a minor concussion as a result of you recent adventure. If you can balance yourself without support and sit patiently a moment I can get you something for the pain."

Was he Doctor Sphinx? "Ummm sure." I said as I tried to recall if there was a doctor sphinx.

He stalked off on four paws and came back dropping an individual pack of Extra Strength Tylenol in my lap. I had not really expected modern medicine and this must have come across in my expression. "Oh do you have a preference for Motrin?" He said seriously with a cocked head.

"No I am good, thanks." I said ripping open the pack as he handed me a refilled glass of water to swallow the pair of pills down with. Now if they could just start working their tiny capsule miracles on my head I might be able to focus on other things like…

"Where am I did you say?" I asked again like I had already forgotten his answer even though he had not really offered me one as of yet.

"You are in my home." He replied which really did not tell me much more except that he was my host and therefore I should make sure that I treated him with the required respect.

"May I ask how I arrived here?" Come on. I know that the image is of a mysterious and solemn sphinx but to be fair that was talking about a statue out in a vast desert not a living and breathing being. I would be quite fine if he chose not to follow the stereotype and give me the whole skinny without me having to play twenty questions. My head would appreciate it too.

"I can only offer a partial explanation." He said. "The rest will require others to fill in the gaps. Suffice to say that a some hours ago a small group of strange and varied travelers arrived on my doorstep and requested permission to enter my house. Why I asked them why they merely said it was necessary to save the life of a hero."

I snorted, forgetting that the Tylenol had not kicked in and paid for that little bit of sarcasm with a fresh wave of pain. "I assure you that they overstated their case."

"I must admit I have never personally met a hero, only read the stories of how they carry swords and gleaming chest plates everywhere they go." He replied. "Might I suggest if nothing but to make a counter fashion statement from this century that you allow them their little claim at least temporarily?" He asked. Of course requests from hosts are important so I nodded as slowly as I could to not cause even more skull distress to myself.

"Anyway since I had not met a hero I of course agreed as there was nothing else pressing on my schedule." He said quite happy to have this diversion it seemed.

"Wait." I requested. "Aren't you supposed to ask them a riddle before allowing them to pass?"

"I only know one riddle actually." He said sheepishly. "What is green and black and red all over?"

He was kidding me right? "A frog in a blender?" I said to a joke that was old and gross when I was a kid.

"Exactly!" He said. "See you paid that particular debt if we are going to stand on such formality. Personally I would prefer not to."

"Okay." Wow, once more it was time to question if I really was nuts.

"They came into the room, took some sort of measurements, and then opened a door to another place and yanked you through with a rather impressive explosion sound along with you." He continued.

"It was real." I said.

"I assumed so for that explains the minor concussion." Yeah the very leading edge of a force wave to the back of my head probably would cause that type of effect. My back and neck would probably also turn black and blue. But compared to being dead I could live with it… get it?

"And these strangers just left me here in your care?" I asked.

"Well they told me a most incredible story first about how you have been fighting a continual war against the Fomor and that your self-sacrificing actions had just saved a city of millions." He replied. "Since you were hurt I shooed them out of the room so you could recover which more or less brings us up to date."

"I guess I owe you my thanks for that…ummm…and for a lot of other things as well." Okay Molly you are more than a minute past realizing you are not dead so it's time to start getting your brain running normally again.

"Think nothing of it." One of those tennis racket sized paws waved me off as if his efforts were not even a trifle. If I got hit by one of those things though I would probably vigorously disagree with his assessment once I woke up. "That said there are others waiting to see you now that you are awake. If there is anything you require that I might provide please feel free to ask otherwise I will allow you some privacy." I shook my head not wishing to add to any debt I might be accumulating.

"May I ask your name?" I said trying to locate my manners in my still addled brain.

"I have always been partial to Ramses."

Of course…

There were four people waiting for me and as the sphinx had indicated they were a rather unique collection of powerful beings. They spent a little too much time deferring to one another over who entered in front of whom and which of them would speak and in what order. In many ways it was as awkward as one of Murphy's alliance meetings which ironically I realized had more or less been the beginning of these events for me. Since Karrin was not one of these people and I might die of old age while these four kept being overly polite to each other I decided to take charge.

"Crystal, since I half expected to see how you perform you primary duties once I set off the explosion why don't you come give me a hug?" I said holding out my arms to my friend and then being swept off my feet by the valkyrie in a good natured show of Norse affection. Yeah the back was definitely going to feel like hell in the morning, or night, or whatever the hell time it was.

"Glad to say this is just a social call not business girlfriend." She let me back down to my feet and then looked me over with a critical eye.

"What?" I said after a moment.

"Girl, you know what you need?" She asked

"What?"

"A good man in your life." She smiled. "And it seems to me that I owe you one in this category. I know this guy name Leif…nice fellow, bathes at least monthly, took over the family business, even owns his own boat…"

"Pass." I said smiling and certainly NOT interested in the kind of men that regularly caught a valkyrie's rather discriminating attentions.

"Oh no girlfriend you do not get a pass in this area." She said. "You hooked me up with Butters so there is a debt of honor since then that will stand between us until I find you a man who is his equal." She said very straight-faced. The thought made me shudder just a little bit inside.

"Uuumm speaking of, did Marcone get him and Karrin and the rest free?" I asked hoping she had word and wanting to get away from her less than veiled threat.

"Yep. Marcone came through on that just as promised." Crystal replied. "Your brother and I went by his place to return Butters's 'tool' Daniel had been carrying and he was already home. I told him it was goodbye for us and he gave me your wands and asked me to return them to you." She pulled the pair from her belt and put them in my hands.

"Is he going to be okay?" I asked. "I am pretty sure you will be a hard act for him to follow."

She smiled at me. "Naah I do not like leaving that kind of emotional damage in my wake." She shook her head. "Therefore, on my way here I stopped by and saw that little female werewolf that hangs around with Karrin…"

"Andi?" I asked thinking how male emotions I read around her never rose past their waistlines.

"Yep, that is the one." She confirmed.

"What for?"

"I told her I had a new job but that I could not leave town without letting her know what a crush Butters has on her." Crystal said with a wicked little smile.

"He does?" I said shocked as I had never read that emotion from him when the two were in the same room.

"Well if not he probably soon will." That wicked little smile turned into something worthy of witches from the North, South, East, or West. "See during my little girl talk with the wolfie I also let slip that little myth about the sexual prowess of polka men."

"You didn't…" I asked laughing because I was the author of that particular myth.

She nodded laughing even louder than me. "I figure he has a week or so at most to rest up before she comes sniffing around. Female wolves are known to do most of the hunting in their packs so once she get's hungry…" Oh there goes ANOTHER image entered into my mind I did not want to have!

We laughed together a few more moments and then I got serious. "You really are leaving?" I asked not terribly happy with that prospect.

"Yeah, thanks to you assignment completed so back to the office until the next one comes in." She replied. "Speaking of which, I do need to get back and complete my reports. The ravens hate it when paperwork is late so they don't pay out the bonuses on time." She gave me another hug, not as strong as before, which my back was thankful for, but still undeniable in it bond of friendship. Then she turned so I would not see the tears in the maiden of death's eyes even though I read her emotions just as well.

"Send word through Gard if you ever need backup." She said and I just nodded and let her go. The other three stood silently waiting for me to address them which made me feel very self conscious.

"Yeah, now I have to deal with another debt of honor. I hope she does not decide to kick my ass to prove I am worthy of it too." I said looking at Madame Yukihyou as she seemed the most uncomfortable in the presence of the other two. I might as well give her a reprieve by letting her speak next.

"Actually I believe our debt is settled in full." The Snow Leopard replied. "You master helped my grandson find an honorable death against a greater enemy. I provided you the same conditions, though once you action was underway I did not see the need for you to follow it through to conclusion as you were not dying of cancer as he was."

"You saved me?" I asked finding this interesting.

"In part." She said looking toward the Leanansidhe who stood silently judging me as she usually did. "I knew of your alliance with Winter and once I departed from your presence I called to your new magical instructor and explained your intentions. It was she who opened the door to this place and from within opened another door in time to pull you through though it was a rather close thing and at most times hard to monitor your actions." Madame Yukihyou displayed her bandaged hands as evidence of her story.

"I'm sorry…" I started and she stopped me with a glare.

"Worry not, they will heal soon enough." She said. "My time, however, grows short and my purpose was to inform you that our accounts are now mostly balanced and also that your rather drastic action destroyed the majority of your enemy's strength." She seemed to be offering more than my results with the Fomor but was not comfortable speaking in the presence of the others. "Dropping the building appears to have imprisoned or destroyed them. Talk to your sponsor and I sure he or she will have a full account."

"Wait, you said mostly balanced?" I pursued that aspect to turn the subject and because I did not like the emphasis she placed on that word since it was obvious she meant I owed her now.

"Indeed." She said. "I recall you promised me a girl's night out if you lived through this."

"Oh yeah I guess I did." I smiled thinking how unlikely it was that I had. When in doubt go with snark! "Have your people contact my people and we will set something up." I said with a laugh that raised her eyebrow.

"That or just give me a call the next time you are in town." I ended with more dignified seriousness.

"I shall do so. Oh and the cloaked one remains at the consulate as you requested. I decided since you had lived to return the decision of her fate to you to solve as you see fit." She said and turned to regard the other two waiting for me. "I would also warn you to beware of these two. I fear each has their own plans for you." She said then nodded to each in grudging respect offered to a rival rather than a compatriot or friend.

"Of course we do my dear." Leanansidhe said as the Snow Leopard walked right past her. "I do not believe I ever suggested anything less." For her part Madame Yukihyou chose to ignore this comment and departed for her own lands.

I looked to Lea. "Care to enlighten me on these plans?" I asked.

"Why my dear what do you think we have been doing all this time?" She said with that cat toying with a mouse tone of hers. "I plan to train you my dear as Harry should have."

"That is a means to a goal not an ends." I pointed out.

"The way you take after Harry I would say it quite possibly could be an ends as you so nearly demonstrated this evening." She smiled. Okay touché I had nearly gotten myself killed but that did not mean there was not more there under the surface of her words. Faeries were great at taking conversations off their intended course. So I pursued.

"Training me is all you are looking for Lea?" I asked more directly.

"Well of course I am always in the market for another dog." She said without a hint of reservation. For much of their early relationship The Leanansidhe had tried to transform Harry into one of her hunting dogs. According to him, that was her favorite punishment for those who crossed or irritated her.

I got to experience that particular effect in Mexico. The most disturbing part was how after even a short period of time I could feel my mind wanting to surrender my identity and become a dog. I had little doubt had she kept us transformed I would have forgotten who I was before long. I was horrified by this but even so that now provided me with a potential solution to a remaining problem.

"Speaking of your canine collection I have just the candidate for you." I said. "There is a former White Council Warden at the Japanese consulate who sided with our enemies. I defeated and took her prisoner instead of killing her because I sought justice. I now believe a formal execution in this case would draw too much undesirable attention…"

I looked to the last person waiting to speak with me noting that his emotions did not seem to fluctuate with this though it was obvious he understood what I had in mind. "So instead of death I think she would make you a loyal and wonderful hound." Upon speaking my words I was not sure which of the remaining two showed the more surprise.

"That is a substantive gift you offer me child." Leanansidhe said looking for the trap; when dealing with Faeries there is always a trap.

"Consider it payment for what you have taught me so far." I responded in turn. "This way I do not have to kill her and yet I know she will not be coming after me for revenge either."

"Well then I accept this wondrous gift." She said coming forward toward me. "I have news for you as well but let me first give you a hug for this gift and for surviving and therefore not wasting all my time spent training you." She said loudly as she pulled me in tight and whispered right in my ear. "Harry is alive at Arctis Tor!" She held me close to keep me standing as my entire world spun with those six words.

With another watching, someone who would equally desire this news but probably not for the same reasons, she continued her act. "You would also like to know I was informed a short while ago that a Svartalf by the name of Mr. Etri would like to offer you a fifty year rent free lease for a place of your own. Supposedly he has numerous properties for you to choose from. I recommend you take him up on it as I do not think living on the street is appropriate for you any longer child. Finding someplace nice you can call your own or to entertain visitors seems a much better option."

She turned and looked to the last guest. "And you can be assured that the Svartalfar place a high premium on the security of their guests so it would truly be a safe place for you to unwind and continue your studies."

"Why?" I asked overwhelmed still by the news on Harry but even so this would have been pretty big itself.

"Much like your other friends the Svartalfar have this rather outdated view on the importance of honor." She said obviously disapproving. "What was the term the term the bird-woman used? Ah yes, he offers you this to balance out the 'debt of honor' between you and his people." I was struck speechless by all Lea had told me.

A place to call my own? Yeah I admit I focused on the smaller revelation first as it was easier to get my head around. It was exactly what I needed. It was space where I could feel safe and be myself, space where I could have friends over even, and finally a place where I could heal myself. I could feel myself crying from just this.

I locked away the thoughts that Harry was alive as I looked over at my last guest, The Gatekeeper, but said nothing. He had told me in the hotel room that he too was a sensitive wizard which meant if I was not careful I could let on what Lea had gone to great acting lengths to hide without lying since she could not. I pulled up a little magic and cast an emotional calming spell upon myself causing The Gatekeeper's hood to cock to the side ever so slightly at my action. I turned back to Lea.

"Is there anything else Lea?" I asked.

"No my dear, beyond my standing request that you not continue to take such foolish risks." She said. "With all my training I have high hopes and plans for you. It would be extremely inconvenient now to have you die." That was as close to warm emotions as Winter Court Fae ever get.

"Yeah it would." I agreed. She winked at me and without another word turned and left not even looking at The Gatekeeper as she departed. For his part he ignored her as well and instead just stared at me in his silent judgment mode. I swear he should patent that look.

"They say you can judge a person by the friends they keep." The Gatekeeper began.

"I thought it was by the enemies they made." I countered with a bit of a smile.

"That is a completely different 'they' I imagine." He laughed. "However, I believe in this case by measurements under both of those rulers you are a rather extraordinary young woman Ms. Molly Carpenter…and even a passable apprentice wizard."

"Gee thanks…"

"I figure it is only fair to tell you as that is what my report on this incident will say." He replied.

"Great more test results for the White Council to judge me by." I said less than happy as I'd probably be told right before they killed me that there were hundreds of things I could have done in this situation that would have been far more effective and far less dangerous to those around me. Damn Monday morning quarterbacks!

"Not the White Council." The Gatekeeper replied. "That other group of which I, make that 'we,' belong." He said the 'we' with obvious respect.

I looked at him trying to find the right way to say what I wanted to say but the words were just evading me. Meanwhile The Gatekeeper seemed to read my frustration and chose again to say nothing which never really helps. I hate having people staring at me in silence so I just blurted it out.

"I can't do it!" I said. "It is too much responsibility. It is too much temptation." While I live a small part of me will always know that were I to desire it I could call out to Barter and accept his deal, freeing him to make me stronger." I did not want to be The Hulk. Hell I had power just being Peter Parker with the whole strength and responsibility thing.

"I understand." He said and from the wave of calming and empathetic emotion I felt from him I knew that he really did. I also knew that he had either faced or was in the same situation I was only instead of one such being at his call he probably had his original eleven and who knows how many more just like them over the centuries.

"How do you deal with it?" I asked at last hoping he would have a solution that I did not.

"I do not fight it." He said. "I use it as a reminder of mistakes I made so as to not make them again. They give me the strength to resist."

"Well that may work for you but I did not…" Oh crap I almost blurted out the wrong thing to the wrong guy.

"But you did not set them free upon this world as I did?" He said finishing my thought? "No you did not. You do not have all the blood on your hand for all the evil deeds they have performed. You do not have the memories of the once good wizards that had to die to stop them."

We sat in awkward silence for a long time then when The Gatekeeper finally spoke it was not what I was expecting. "Did Wizard Dresden ever tell you about his mother?"

Holy crap where the hell did that come from?

"Uuuummm… he told me a little… her name was Margaret like mine… and she was phenomenal with knowing The Ways." I said which was most of what Harry had said about her to me. Of course I had lots of other data now from the original source but I was not sharing.

"Did he tell you she was a sensitive wizard like the two of us?" He asked me as he finally sat down crossed legged to allow me to do the same since I had nearly died recently. I kneeled down on the ground once more feeling shifting sand under the carpets. Yep, sphinx…desert…

"I think I heard that somewhere." I said though making sure I was coming across as less than clear on where and when I heard this.

"It was my hope when I first heard of her power and talent that I would be able to train her as my replacement one day." He said.

"What?" I asked.

"WHAT?" Margaret's voice asked in my head too.

"As I told you my responsibilities require a sensitive magical basis more so than combat magic." He replied. "Margaret Dresden was considered a child protégé in this area, and where her rebellious nature was considered dangerous by many, I saw it as an asset."

"Why didn't he tell me this?" She asked in my mind.

"Shhh!" I scolded her. "Why didn't you tell her this?"

"I intended to but before I could The Merchant surfaced again and I went to stop him." He continued. "By the time I returned after many years she had left us. Of all the damage that the Outsiders have exacted in my life I often think that preventing me from speaking with her was perhaps the most costly to us all. I wonder how different the White Council would be today if I had provided some shelter and protection when she required it?"

"Why tell me this now?" I asked.

"Because I see her in you Molly." Please tell me he was merely using a metaphor.

"I see all the potential and passion she had now reborn in you. Your Jade Court friend was correct. I have what I would say are hopes rather than intentions for you to take up my mantle one day. In part because of the enemies we fight may prove stronger, but in part that I am growing tired. I fight for a world but one which I am now as much a spectator, almost an outsider, as those I battle. It is not the same for you."

I did not know how to respond to that and thankfully I did not have to as he continued.

"You want to know how to resist the temptation now inside you?" He asked and I merely nodded. "Remember who you are. Remember what you choose to be. Remember the people you love. I promise you that if you keep that in mind, you will never use that power you fear."

"It is not as easy as that." I said. "If someone I loved were in trouble I might use it to save them." I reasoned.

"You might indeed…" He said. "You might become the very monster you fear. But I bet the person Knight of the Cross Michael Carpenter and warrior in her own right Charity Carpenter gave birth to is made of stronger stuff. Furthermore I bet the fires that Wizard Dresden has tempered you with have made you even stronger…stronger than you know."

"You bet? What? My soul?"

"No I would bet this world and all of existence on an apprentice wizard." He said smoothly.

"That is not very encouraging."

"It was not meant to be. It was meant to be challenging."

We both were silent once more until he spoke. "I can offer you the silver bullet you seek though in this case a bullet is probably an apt metaphor." He said.

"The temptation exists only because of your memory of these events allows for it." He said. "You have the ability to erase those memories in yourself even if it would be wrong for you to do it in others. If you truly fear what you may become I suggest that is the better course of action." I know he had no clue about how Harry had me mess with his mind. That was not something that turned out well. Now he was suggesting I could do the same to my own.

"But won't it leave gaps?"

"Large holes most certainly, hence the bullet." He said. "Days of your life intertwined with these events will be lost to you forever. That is the unfortunate price necessary to pay for the safety you seek."

I sat in silence considering his words and all I would lose, but also the sense of security I would gain. I could not decided; not yet at least. "Why did you come here?" I asked.

"To praise your success and thank you for finishing a task that I had been unable to." He said. "I also wanted to offer you a ride home. It is sort of on my way."

"Really?" I laughed. "Chicago is on the way to the Outer Gates?"

"Everywhere is on the way to that destination because time does not mean the same thing there."

His use of time struck a chord in my memory of a promise made. "Speaking of time, what time is it back in Chicago?"

"It is late afternoon, why?"

"Then yes I will accept your invitation for a lift. I need you to drop me off somewhere…"

They really need to put some oil on these hinges I thought to myself as their squeaking from the big door I pulled open echoed in the room beyond making the nearly dozen or so heads present turn in my direction. Talk about an awkward moment. And that was before I even realized that I was still wearing my kimono from the previous night. I can say that choice of attire raised an eyebrow or two.

"Ummm… sorry… please continue." I said as I walked into the room to a combination of shaking heads and smiles. There were even a few screams of excitement from the Jawas as my father stood up so they could race up to embrace me all at once in a series of hugs. My father was the last in the group scooping us all together in his tight embrace and thanking me in his eyes without saying a word.

Only my mother Charity did not stand up and do the same, but this was because my newest adopted sister Little Maggie was curled up and sleeping in her arms. Mom did look at me though and was not embarrassed to let me see tears of happiness streaming down her face.

"Can I get on with this?" My sister Amanda said up at the altar kneeling next to Father Forthill who was performing her First Communion.

"Sure sis." I said taking a seat between mom and dad with Little Harry sitting on my lap and the rest of my clan finding reasons to touch me and assure themselves I was here.

"Ehhh, Family!" Amanda said with obvious frustration, especially at having to wear that horrible dress mom had no doubt picked out for her.

"Yep…Family…" I whispered to myself too and for that moment at least I was at peace and whole.

The End


End file.
